#i mentioned this to my grandma and she just went “oh yeah we used to do that”

[roosterforme]

Covering the Classics Part 9 | Bob Floyd x OC

Summary: After Anna joins him for dinner, Bob knows he needs to accept that they really are just friends. Even though her kisses are perfection. Even though he's falling in love. But what's going to stop Anna when she realizes Bob's poems are very familiar to her?

Warnings: Fluff, angst, adult language, Bob in gray sweatpants, eventually 18+

Length: 5700 words

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Female OC (this story is part of the Beer Boy/Sugar and Jake/Jessica universe)

Covering the Classics masterlist. Check my masterlist for more!

Bob couldn't imagine a world in which he'd go to this much trouble to make the perfect dinner for a woman who he was falling in love with, only to hear her say the words just friends. But apparently it was the world he was living in, because he spent days comparing recipes from both Bradley and Jake, hoping to make something that Anna would find irresistible.

"You should make my lasagna," Jake said for the tenth time at work on Friday morning.

Bradley snorted. "Great idea, as long as you never want to see her again. Make my homemade pasta," he told Bob. "I already gave you the recipe."

Bob just kept nodding and agreeing with whatever they said, hoping they'd eventually be quiet. Anna was coming over tonight, and he still didn't have a solid plan in mind beyond trying to convince her he'd be worth her time. That it was okay to be more than friends.

While the guys argued, Bob got himself ready to get in the air with Phoenix. He must have looked flustered, because she rubbed her thumb gently across the back of his hand when he stood next to her in the hangar. "You seem nervous. Are you still trying to figure out what to make for dinner?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

"Oh, Bob. She's not going to care what you make. It could be a grilled cheese sandwich."

"I always burn those," he said with a small smile. "I just feel like this is pointless. I invited her over anyway even though I know she just wants to be friends, but I'm still standing here hoping for more. I shouldn't be doing this, even if we did makeout in her office."

Nat sighed and asked, "Do you want my grandma's recipe for bruschetta chicken? You liked it when you tried it at her house last summer, and it's not that hard to make."

His eyes lit up. "Please." 

He'd only have a little bit of time to himself to prepare the meal and cook it before Anna came over, and he listened as Nat called her grandma and asked her to send it over. Before they were even called out of the hangar to start the day, he had a photo of the handwritten recipe in his phone.

"Nat, you're a lifesaver."

"Just save me some of the leftovers."

--------------------------

Friday was going so well for Anna, she almost forgot to be nervous about dinner. She met with the dean to discuss how her classes were going, and he even brought up the word tenure which sent her into a giddy spiral where she treated herself to a candy bar from the vending machine which she couldn't really afford. She carried it out to eat lunch in the quad with her friends along with her regular, uninspired sandwich and ginger ale.

She hadn't mentioned a word about going to Bob's house for dinner, but she was absolutely certain both ladies knew about it. She almost found it comical the way they were trying to get her to say something about it, but Jessica was clearly ready to boil over.

"Hi," Anna greeted, biting into her Snickers bar as she settled on the bench between them. Advanced Calculus casually offered her some carrots and hummus while Jessica's cheeks started to grow a furious shade of pink. 

"When were you going to tell us Bob invited you over for dinner tonight?" she exclaimed. 

Anna shrugged and said, "I was probably just going to tell you about it on Monday since it's nothing because we are just friends. It's only as exciting as it would be if I went over to your place for dinner."

"That's exciting, too!" Jessica said. "You should absolutely come over for dinner! But you're wrong, because it's not as exciting as Bob cooking dinner for you!"

"Jess. Chill out," came the voice from Anna's other side. "She'll learn soon enough that dinner cooked by one of the Top Gun boys is essentially a marriage proposal on a plate. A very sexy and delicious marriage proposal. You and he will be sleeping together in no time."

Anna chewed up the last bite of her Snickers and shook her head. "You're both wrong. Bob and I are just friends. The dinner means nothing, and we're not going to sleep together."

"Oh, please!" Jessica was back to practically shouting now. "If you think he's actually okay with all the making out, then you've lost your mind. He doesn't want it to be meaningless. He likes you."

Anna looked at her feet. "I know he does. I like him too."

"Then stop stringing him along! I don't understand what the problem is here, Anna."

She sat quietly now, no longer feeling so great as she picked at her sandwich.

"Hey, I know Jess sounds like an excitable terrier, but maybe you need a little tough love," Advanced Calculus said as she dipped a carrot into the hummus. "You can talk to us, you know. You can tell us what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Anna whispered as her mind flooded with thoughts of Kevin and what he might be up to at the moment. 

Jess took a deep calming breath before she said, "There's just no good reason to put your dream man in the friend zone. And don't even try to lie and say Bob Floyd isn't perfection."

"He is," Anna whispered. Other than her infatuation with Sky Writing, Bob was the closest thing to a dream come true that she'd ever encountered before. But she did have her reasons, and she was too embarrassed to talk about it out loud. She was certain that Jess already knew her current financial state was in ruins, and it might be nice to have her friends understand where she was coming from, but she didn't want them to pity her. That was the last thing she needed right now. "You know what, I think I'm going to get ready for my next lecture."

She was on her feet and rushing away as her friends called after her, but she didn't stop walking until she reached her office. She was not going to cry over this, and she definitely didn't want to cancel on Bob. The only thing she could do to calm down was look at all of the books on her shelves, letting her gaze glide over the colorful spines. Then she read the note from Bob that was tucked in her copy of Papillon.

Freedom would feel like being so in love, you'd willingly let another person lock you to their side.

-------------------------------

Bob had a fully stocked kitchen filled with a nice set of pots and pans and sharp knives and anything else he could possibly want, but right now, it was like he'd never cooked anything before in his life. Nat's grandmother actually had atrocious handwriting, and he could barely make out the measurements in the photo he had to work with.

"Basil," he muttered to himself, grabbing the leafy greens from the cutting board and wondering why it looked like he was supposed to use three cups of them. "I didn't even buy that much!"

He took a deep breath and walked around his kitchen, trying to clear his head. Anna was going to grab an Uber. She would be arriving in about an hour with wine and dessert. He wanted to feed her the most delicious meal he could muster, but right now he was just looking at the chicken breast on the plate in front of him like he'd never seen food before.

And he just knew Jake and Bradley never had to work this hard for a woman in their lives. Jake could rely mostly on his looks if he wanted to, and Bradley was the luckiest person he knew, reuniting with the love of his life after ten years and getting married approximately a day later. "No," he whispered, "that's not fair to them." He knew he was wrong. He knew both of them worked to get where they ended up, and he shouldn't be putting himself down so much. 

He glared at the chicken and picked up a knife. "This is fine. No problem." He had to fudge some of the measurements which made no sense, and he'd suggest to Nat that maybe her grandmother should take an eye exam, but the recipe really wasn't too terribly hard. Soon he had the browned chicken in the oven, and he set to work on the bruschetta topping and started boiling some water for the pasta. He was just adding another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and basil when he heard Anna's beautiful laughter.

Bob nearly knocked the bowl to the floor in his haste to get to her. After grabbing a dish towel for his hands, he rushed toward his front door and saw her on his porch. She was wearing a little sundress that he'd seen her in before with her worn out denim jacket over it, and he froze a few feet inside his screen door just so he could look at her. She was juggling a shopping bag and a bottle of wine, and that's when he realized she was talking to Suzanne.

"Oh, no, I'm not in the Navy," she was saying as she tossed her beautiful, red hair over her shoulder. "I'm a professor at San Diego State University. My name's Anna."

She stretched her hand out, and then Bob heard Suzanne's voice. "I'm Suzanne, and that's my cat, Sylvester. I must say, I had no idea Robert got himself a girlfriend. And such a pretty one!"

He desperately wanted to interrupt their conversation before he could hear what Anna's response was going to be, but he just couldn't. She was standing there in the last rays of the setting sun, blushing as she said, "Bob and I are actually just friends. Just good friends."

There was a beat of silence before Suzanne laughed. "Have you seen him? And he's even sweeter than he is handsome!"

Anna was laughing nervously, and Bob's heart was pounding, but he opened the screen door to bail her out anyway. "Hey," he greeted as naturally as he could, and then Anna's apprehensive gaze met his. God, all he wanted to do was drag her inside, push her up against his living room wall and kiss until she realized he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Bob," she whispered, taking a small step in his direction. Her eyes were wide and perceptive, like she could read his every thought on his face. She cleared her throat and said, "I brought wine and some cookies."

Helpless to do much of anything else, he smiled at her. "Dinner's almost ready." Then he leaned further out the door and said, "Hi, Suzanne."

His next door neighbor looked delighted as she glanced between him and Anna. "I was just talking to your charming friend here, Robert. Cooking dinner for someone certainly sounds romantic to me."

Bob was gripping the door frame as he watched Anna's face fill with panic. Then she blurted out, "Why doesn't Suzanne join us?"

-------------------------------

The only thing Anna could think to do was sabotage the dinner she'd been looking forward to all week. She watched Bob's face fall slightly as he realized she invited his next door neighbor to join them for a very platonic dinner. And since Bob was the sweetest man Anna had ever met, he recovered immediately, turned to Suzanne and said, "You're more than welcome."

Ten minutes later, Bob was opening the bottle of cheap wine she'd brought while Anna watched the veins in his hands. He was graceful and lovely, and Suzanne was talking nonstop as he poured three glasses. She had nobody to blame but herself for inviting a third wheel along. The older woman was really more of a safety net. Someone to prevent Anna from kissing Bob. Someone to stop her from falling completely in love with him.

The whole house smelled amazing, and she knew this dinner was supposed to be just for her. She hadn't eaten a real meal like this, other than at the cookout, in months and months. The first bite of chicken, bruschetta and pasta was delicious enough that she moaned softly. Bob watched her take a second bite, and it was incredible. The third bite left her staring at him in wonder.

"You're the best cook in the world," Anna informed him, cutting across Suzanne talking about her cat. She didn't even care if she was being rude, the food was perfect. And it would have somehow been even better if the two of them were alone.

Bob blushed and took a sip of the wine that Anna wished was better than it was. "Thanks. Uh, it was a new recipe. I've never made it before tonight."

Suzanne took a bite and said, "Robert is an excellent cook and a real gentleman. He always makes sure I have groceries, and he picks up a little something for me if he gets dinner on his way home from work."

As Bob's cheeks grew redder, Anna's heart beat faster. "A real gentleman," she echoed, knowing he'd take care of anyone who needed something.

"Yes," Suzanne said. "You don't see many of them around. Never seen many myself."

Neither had Anna, and after she blew her life to bits, she'd probably never see one again. She listened to Bob and Suzanne talk about their favorite game shows, and she cleaned her plate before either of them had finished. All of the toast and sad sandwiches she'd been eating weren't really cutting it, and she knew that. She also didn't want to get another piece of chicken and seem like a mooch.

"Can I get you more?" Bob asked as he stood on the opposite side of the table in his worn jeans and snug white shirt. "There's plenty left."

Anna shook her head, but he reached for her plate anyway. While he was in the kitchen, Suzanne quickly finished eating and downed the rest of her wine. Softly, just for Anna to hear, she said, "He is a very nice man. I hope I see you around here in a less friendly capacity." Then she called out, "Robert? I need to go. I hear Sylvester outside bugging for food. Thanks for dinner, and enjoy your evening."

"Night, Suzanne," he replied, and the older woman bustled off without another word, leaving Anna alone with Bob when he returned with two plates refilled with food. "She's a character."

Anna laughed, but she could tell Bob was hesitant to say too much now. Probably because she'd dashed the mood in the first place. "I'm sorry I suggested she join us," she told him sincerely, shaking her head. "All week long, I'd been looking forward to talking about books with you." 

As she poked at her chicken, afraid of what he was going to say, he said, "Once you finish eating, I could show you my books. I don't have as many as you do, but maybe there's something you'd like to borrow in the mix. And then I'll drive you home."

"I can get an Uber," she insisted, taking another bite of the perfectly cooked dinner. 

"And I can just as easily drive you."

He was a gentleman. She wasn't going to leave here in an Uber no matter what she said. "Alright."

----------------------------

"You have books in every room!" Anna exclaimed as she walked around his house nibbling on a cookie. The wine she brought was kind of terrible, and so were the grocery store cookies, but Bob didn't mind. She ate two full plates of the dinner he cooked, and now that Suzanne was gone, she seemed more herself.

"I have a system," he insisted as she sat down on his living room floor to inspect a stack of paperbacks.

"I'm not buying it," she said, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"Try me. The living room is poetry. The extra bedroom is mysteries. The dining room is true crime."

"What's in your bedroom?" she asked, flipping through a collection by Robert Frost.

Bob wanted to tell her that his bedroom was where he wrote his own poetry. And that they had begun to turn into a collection all about her. "Romance," he said.

She laughed softly, such a pretty sound. "I'm assuming you don't have any Vonnegut? No soul massacring, unhappy endings?"

"None," he promised. "You won't find any of those around here."

She was skimming a page as she muttered, "Good. I've had enough of that anyway." Then she stood and carried the Frost poems to another small pile on his coffee table. She rooted around and pulled out a volume by Walt Whitman before asking, "Could I borrow these two?"

Bob was admiring how perfect she looked in his house when she met his eyes with her pretty brown ones. "Of course," he said, dropping down onto the couch as he finished his own cookie. "Anything you want."

She stood and carried the books over to her purse before sitting down a few feet away from him. "What I want is to help you organize your books for real. Have you ever heard of a bookshelf before?"

"Never," he replied innocently. "What's that?"

She laughed and scooted a little closer. "You know those big, wooden things that were holding all the books when we met at that store in North Park? Remember that day?"

He knew she was just joking around, but as he memorized the pattern of her freckles, he said, "I will never forget that day."

Once again, Anna initiated the kiss, and once again, Bob was helpless to pump the brakes. She leaned in close with her hand on his knee and brushed her lips against his. It was so sweet, he was almost able to ask her to stop. Even though it felt too good, he was nearly able to tell her he couldn't do this. But being tortured was worth it. That was the worst part.

He let her do what she wanted, and her soft hands found their way to his face, knocking his glasses askew on their way into his hair. He wanted to touch her, but he was afraid he'd lose himself in these kisses that meant so much more to him than they did to her. He counted to ten slowly in his mind, savoring every touch and taste, letting Anna settle against his thigh. Then he broke the kiss, leaving her hovering there, surprise on her face.

She pressed her lips together, and turned her face toward his front door. "I'll never forget that day either."

He nodded as her hands fell away from his hair and his face, and he whispered, "Grab the books you want to borrow, and I'll drive you home."

----------------------------

"He's a gentleman," Anna groaned in her bed on the floor of her tiny apartment the following morning. It was Saturday, and she didn't have much she needed to accomplish today which would leave her plenty of time to think about the drive home in Bob's truck and the way he walked her to her door. She didn't kiss him again, but he always seemed to be close enough that she could feel his body heat in the chilly night air. Even now, when she grabbed at some strands of her hair, she swore she could still smell his fresh scent there.

She needed to get out. She grabbed her phone and took the longest walk imaginable. Her legs were burning by the time she stopped in a corner store for something to eat for lunch, but the sandwich was almost as bad as the ones she had been making for herself. Nothing would be as good as what Bob cooked, and he served it up last night like it was no big deal at all.

As Anna started the long walk back to her apartment, she groaned while she blasted her music. She had invited his elderly neighbor to join them for dinner, and then she had kissed him again. She was so embarrassing. She'd never been like this when she was in New Jersey, never doing the most mortifying things over and over. 

She didn't go home for a long time. She walked through an enormous park and looked at a fountain while she daydreamed about all of her unfinished manuscripts. When that started to hurt too much, she watched the storm clouds that were rolling in from the coast and thought it might be nice to get soaking wet. Then a few fat raindrops started to hit her face as she realized that she wouldn't be able to replace her phone if it got destroyed. 

"Damn it," she muttered, starting to run through the park under the cover of the trees. The sky was quickly getting darker as she tried to stay under awnings and overhangs as much as possible until she reached her apartment building. Her clothing was soaked, but her phone was still in working order when she ran inside, dripping all over the welcome mat in the small entryway.

She desperately wanted to cry, but that wouldn't solve anything, so she took a long shower instead. She washed and braided her hair, and then she painted her nails. When she finally picked up her phone again, she had a new message from Bob.

Bob Floyd: Taking your advice and buying one of those bookshelves? Was that what they were called? Which one do you think is better?

He had attached two screenshots of nice looking shelves from Ikea that she'd never be able to afford at the moment. She smiled as she typed back to him while she heated up a can of soup for dinner.

Yes, they are called bookshelves. Are you sure you know how to use them? I like the navy blue one better.

The flavorless chicken noodle soup went well with Anna's mood as she sat on the floor and watched a show on her phone. Part of her wanted to know what her friends were up to, but she didn't want to have to tell them about last night. She knew Bob and Jess would be going out to play Dungeons & Dragons soon anyway, but she dropped her spoon in the bowl when Bob wrote back again.

Bob Floyd: I think I'll pick it up tomorrow and make it my rainy Sunday project. Feel like helping me build it?

"Oh, Anna. Don't."

-------------------------------

Bob pulled up to Anna's building on Sunday afternoon after stopping to pick up the shelf. It had been pouring rain since last night, and he had to wrap his new furniture box in a tarp to protect it in the bed of his truck. But this would be a great way to spend the afternoon. He could make two cups of tea, and she could help him organize his books. They didn't need to kiss anymore. He would see to it that they didn't. He could handle this whole thing without issue.

He left his truck idling at the curb, and Anna came running outside like she'd been waiting for him. He grabbed his umbrella and met her halfway, shouting, "I was going to walk up and get you!" over the sound of the rain. She joined him under the umbrella, her denim jacket pretty wet as she shrugged.

"The rain's okay. It reminds me of New Jersey."

Once he opened the door and helped her scramble in, he ran around to the other side of the truck. He was barely able to find a dry spot on his shirt so he could wipe off his glasses, and when he yanked the hem up, he could feel Anna's eyes on his body. There was no sense in feeling self conscious about the way he looked now, because nothing else was going to happen. Last night had to be the end of that.

"You ready?" he asked, cranking the key in the ignition when she nodded. His wipers were going full speed as he drove her back to his house for the second visit in one weekend. "Thanks for helping with this. I kind of realized that having everything on one big shelf makes more sense. Especially if I keep borrowing books from you."

Her laugh was soft as she said, "If you don't borrow my books, then nobody will."

"Same goes for mine," he replied easily as he headed toward the beach. "But don't you dare dog ear my pages."

Now she laughed louder. "I read most of Whitman last night before I fell asleep, and there's nary a bent page in sight."

"That's what I like to hear." When he pulled up in front of his house, he handed her the umbrella and his keys. "Go ahead and let yourself in, and I'll unload the box."

She just gaped at him in response and asked, "Don't you need help carrying it?"

"Nah," he replied, popping his door open, "I can get it."

Bob struggled a little bit with the tarp before sliding the massive box closer to the edge of the truck tailgate. Every movement was made slower by the pounding rain in his face, but he managed to tip it into his arms. It was heavy, but not too bad, and his grip on the wet cardboard was good enough for him to get it inside the house. Anna was standing on the porch, holding open his screen door with the umbrella folded up at her feet, and he accidentally brushed against her with his arm as he maneuvered himself through the door.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, her voice a little breathy as she let the screen door close and helped him prop the box against the wall. "This is massive."

"I guess now I can buy more books," he said with his hands on his hips while he dripped all over the place. "I'm going to get changed quickly, and then we can build the shelf and organize it, and then I'll make dinner."

Her eyes lit up. "You'll make dinner again?"

"Yeah. I was going to see if I can attempt a grilled cheese without burning it. I'll be right back." And then he headed upstairs to his bedroom where he had clean undershirts, some sweatpants and all of his favorite books.

---------------------------

Anna was halfway through unboxing and organizing the shelf pieces on the floor when Bob walked back downstairs. She'd removed her denim jacket, and her leggings and tank top were mostly dry, and she'd settled on the floor with the instruction book. "It looks like we'll need a screwdriver or a drill...." 

Her sentence tapered off when she looked up at Bob just casually standing there in one of his white shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants and neatly combed, damp hair. The ability to speak escaped her.

"I can grab my toolbox," he told her, adjusting the waistband of his sweatpants before disappearing toward the kitchen. She needed to lie down. She stretched out on the floor and stared at the ceiling as rain pelted the window next to her. 

"Oh my god," she whispered before biting down on her lip. She wanted him. She liked every damn thing about him, and then he had to look and smell and sound so good on top of it all. The Walt Whitman poems weren't the only thing she had read last night. Sky Writing's words from her favorite poems were also in her mind, and she couldn't shake them. Anna had just rolled into her side, staring at the instructions without actually seeing them, when he walked back in. 

"Are you okay?"

"Great," she said, voice raspy. She was in fact not great. She was the opposite of great. When Bob handed her the toolbox and said he was going to make two mugs of tea, she took the time to pull herself together. Sweaty palms glided along her leggings, and she read the instructions through. It seemed simple enough, and she had the hardware in order by the time Bob returned with two steaming mugs.

"Thanks," she whispered as he settled onto the floor next to her. She knew this was how good things would be if she could date Bob. Hot tea and homemade meals and someone around who loved books. "You're really sweet."

He didn't say anything as he sipped his tea, so Anna did the same. It was raining so hard, she couldn't tell if what she heard was thunder or not, but inside Bob's house, everything was warm and cozy. "Let's get started," he finally said, leaning in front of her to set his mug on the windowsill.

They spoke quietly, mostly about the shelf, while she handed him hardware and tools. Anna found herself distracted as she watched his hair dry and lighten in color as they worked together. Every bump of his muscular arm against hers felt intentional, but she couldn't tell for sure, and she was too afraid to ruin this friendship beyond repair. Especially after what her friends had told her at lunch on Friday.

"I need the screwdriver," he said, bumping her gently with his elbow as he held two perpendicular pieces of wood in place. 

"I can get it," she replied, finally refocused on the task before her. "I'll screw it in." She tried to reach in front of him, but he was too tall. When he moved his arms a little further apart, she popped up between them so she was standing between his body and the shelf. "I'll only take a second."

She could feel Bob's warm breath against her ear, and all he could think was that she would fit perfectly in his arms if he decided to just drop what he was holding and wrap them around her instead. "Take your time," he murmured, because of course his arms wouldn't get tired in this position. She fumbled the screw. His body was immaculate, and it was all she could think about as he exhaled and tickled her hair.

"I'm trying," she whispered, fumbling the screw again. Finally she had it in place, and Bob released the shelf, but he didn't move away from her.

"Think you can screw the last two in as well? Then we'll be done."

She nodded and decided to go slower, savor this tiny bit of intimacy and pretend he was hers. Then it was done.

"It looks good."

She barely had to turn to look at him over her shoulder. "It's a nice shelf. How do you want to arrange your books?"

He was still standing close as he said, "Poetry on the top? Since it's my favorite?"

"Yeah," she told him with a laugh. "Banish it to the top where nobody but you can reach it."

He cocked his head and leaned in closer. "Are you insulting the poetry or commenting on my height?"

"A bit of both," she replied right away. The living was darker now from the storm and from the time of day, but she could see his smile perfectly. 

"Come on, Anna. We both know you love the poetry. You borrowed two volumes the other day."

She only hummed in response before ducking away from him and reaching for a stack of his books. She handed them to him one at a time, commenting on them like she was giving each a bad review. "Oh, this one is too flowery. Too many words and no substance." She handed him another after he shelved the first one. "This author put all their best works at the beginning of the collection. The second half is terrible."

Bob chuckled as she picked up a book that she knew was a favorite of his. "Hey, you better watch what you say about that one."

She waved it in the air, unable to reach the top shelf, and he snatched it out of her hand. "I'm going to be brutally honest," she said softly, and Bob's hand rested on her back almost like a warning. "I loved it."

He smiled and let his fingers trail along her back as he nodded toward the stairs. "Want to help me tackle the mystery books in the extra bedroom?"

"Sure," she told him, leading the way to the steps. "But first, you have to tell me why you like poetry so much."

"What's not to like?" he replied as she started up. "All of the emotions are there. You're allowed to write about any combination of emotions that you're feeling at any given time. And I think that's pretty cool."

Anna's steps slowed a little as she considered his words. "Write?" she asked, turning to look back at him as he made his way up behind her. "Did you say write?"

"Uh. I did. Yeah."

Truly, she loved reading poetry, but she didn't have much of a knack for writing it. She didn't even think she was good enough for PoetsAmongUs. "What's something you've written?"

Bob laughed, and Anna stumbled on the top step as he said, "Just some amateur gibberish like, 'Devotion woven into every breath I take. Love that knows no boundaries, no end.' Nothing amazing."

She gripped the banister to keep herself upright, and then she spun and sat down hard on the top step. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew those words intimately. She knew the whole fucking poem by heart. She knew everything else he had written as well, because she'd been reading his poetry for years.

"Bob," she croaked, and he rushed toward her, hands gentle on her ankle and leg.

"Are you okay? Did you twist it?"

"Bob," she gasped, reaching for the front of his undershirt and pulling him closer so he was focused on her face. "You're Sky Writing."

--------------------------

BOB IS SKY WRITING, ANNA. What the hell are you going to do now, babe? Please, make good choices. Thank you @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 10

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[prollywolly]

Meeting The Family [S. Gojo]

summary: part of what lured you into satoru's arms was his wit and his charm. little do you know, he uses the same tricks on your family when he first meets them. and it works.

warnings: just gojo being a charmer.

word count: 1k words

a/n: hihi everyone! so sorry about the inactivity. i've been pretty busy with work, but i'm just now finding my groove of writing again. i've put my miguel o'hara story on hold until i can get my notes together and assemble the first actual chapter. for now, enjoy this jjk brainrot that came to me at work today:) thank you for understanding!

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

meeting your family was the next step in yours and satoru's relationship. your family was important to you and he understood that meeting them meant that you trusted him enough to bring your relationship to this level.

the second you rang the doorbell, satoru turned to look down at you. he didn't seem like he was nervous at all, but you knew that internally he was a bit skeptical of what your family would think of him. "oh my goodness! i'm so happy to see you!" your mom welcomed you with open arms, smiling brightly as she embraced you.

"you must be y/n's older sister," satoru smirked, outstretching his hand for her to shake.

your mom's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with a pink tint. she ran a hand through her hair and giggled at satoru's comment.

oh god, here we go.

"her sister? you're too kind! i'm her mother, it's nice to meet youuu..."

gojo smiled brightly and looked shocked. you stifled your laughter to the best of your ability as you watched your mother fawn over your boyfriend.

"satoru, so nice to finally meet you! i can't believe you're her mother,"

as your mom let the both of you inside, you were met with the rest of your extended family. as your mom introduced satoru to each family member, all of them couldn't help but marvel at the energy he emitted.

not to mention he was twice everyone's height.

as the evening went on, gojo had managed to earn favoritism amongst all of your family members. any playful banter that turned into slight bickering?

how could you talk to him like that, y/n?

he stood up to serve himself the dinner that your mom and grandmother worked so hard on?

how dare you not get up and serve your boyfriend!

satoru was no help at all to the onslaught of criticism you got.

"yeah, y/n. why are you being so mean to me?"

he looked up at you with puppy dog eyes, his bottom lip jutted out into a pout as you rolled your eyes and flicked his forehead.

all of these small comments may sound annoying, but to you? you were elated to see how much your family already liked him. tonight was the greenest of flags for approval and this is all that it meant to you.

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

everyone was sat out in the backyard watching gojo fool around with your nieces and nephew. as you sipped on your water, your aunt broke the silence that sat between all of the women at the table.

"he's perfect for you, honey."

"if i was about thirty years younger, i'd definitely steal him from you,"

"grandma!" you exclaimed, all of the women at the table laughing heartily at her outburst.

you turned to look back at your boyfriend, smiling fondly as your two nieces clung to his legs. the smile that rested on his face as he stomped around with the two girls on his legs, desperately trying to chase after your nephew was something out of a movie.

he turned to you. just for a second. and you swore that you fell in love all over again. he tossed a quick wink your way before turning back to the kids, falling softly onto the grass as they all jumped on top of him.

"mina! get off that poor boy!" your aunt shouted at her daughter. "you're gonna hurt him!"

gojo waved off the worry in your aunt with a flick of his hand.

"oh, she's just playing! right, mina?"

the small girl nodded her head with the cutest pout you'd ever seen. gojo scrunched up his nose and laughed as the other two children grabbed his sunglasses and played with his hair.

"you seem like you're so happy with him," it was the most sincere your mom had been all night. "and he's good to you?"

you looked over at satoru and couldn't help the way your heart swelled at how gentle he was being with the kids.

"he gives me the world and more..."

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

"well it was nice to meet you, satoru! you're welcome back any time!"

gojo's eyes brightened and he gave your mother a charming smile. as your mother opened her arms to hug him goodbye, he stooped down to her height and gave her a small squeeze.

"i'll definitely be back for some more of that banana pudding you made tonight!~"

as your family waved goodbye from behind the door, satoru led you over to his car and opened the passenger side door for you.

your drive back home wasn't too long, but you could tell that he was just waiting to hear about what your family thought of him.

"they loved you 'toru," you chuckled, rubbing his hand with your thumb.

he squeezed your intertwined hand tightly and smacked the steering wheel with his other hand.

"i think they like me more than you, baby."

he took his bottom lip under his teeth and wiggled his eyebrows at you. with a light smack to his bicep he laughed off your slight annoyance.

"i'm never bringing you back ever again," you shook your head and stared out the windshield, watching the headlights of the car bounce back off the garage door of your house.

"that's too bad. i'll just text your mom and ask her when i need to show up!"

his phone illuminated with your mom's phone number, the contact name being 'mother in-law' as some sort of sick joke towards you.

"when did you get my mom's number?!"

gojo smirked and peered over his sunglasses to meet your eyes.

"right after i got your aunt's."

[cloveroctobers]

GRANDMA’S HOUSE — ARMANDO ARETAS x BLACK! READER [Summer Randoms]

A/N: this was honestly inspired by typical family functions + a vid I saw on Instagram (possibly belonging to Tiktok) where we all have that universal experience where we spend the night at grandma’s lol.

SYNOPSIS: your grandmother’s always been in your business, you had a good job? Great! That job got on your nerves? Just be thankful that you have a job when there’s plenty that can’t even find one. You finally moved out of your parent’s house? Good for you, it’s about damn time. Now when you upgraded even more, hearing that you have finally got yourself a boyfriend after being single for only the lord knows how long…she opens up her home for you and Armando to crash instead of spending money (you both had it) out of the kindness of her heart—mostly.

<- read my previous anthology piece here.

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Your grandmother smelled like fresh baked cookies with a hint of peppermint, Armando thinks as the smaller woman embraces him at the front door. The ranch styled house is more fitting than the coastal one she offered you two to stay in last summer out in The Hamptons. From what Armando’s learned about the elderly woman is that she may have the sweetest face but her lip was more deadly than anything. He would have never guessed that Granny Bessie would ever want to be bothered with the folks out there but it was evident that she held her own.

He shouldn’t have suspected anything less.

“Oh you’re so handsome,” Granny Bessie pats Armando’s cheek before staring up at his hair, “You got Indian in you? Looking like you got that Arabian grade of hair.”

Armando casted a glance at you who deeply sighed at the slight ignorance in the entry way of the home. He kept a smile on his face, finding this humorous more than anything, “No, ma’am. I’m Hispanic: Mexican…and black. I used to get Guyanese all the time though.”

The woman nods in agreement as she waves him into the home, “I thought your daddy was coming too?”

Armando inhaled at the mention of the man, who your granny had no issue inviting to her home as well for the upcoming festivities, “Detective Lowrey’s flight got delayed, probably won’t be here until early morning.”

The woman raised a brow at Armando as she closes the door behind him, “You call your father by his profession?”

“Well he hasn’t been much of a father so, yeah.”

“Hold on now, that’s still your blood—

“Granny! How’s the garden been treating you?”

“Oh, It’s flourishin’, baby.” She grins as you slip an arm across her shoulders and sent an apologetic look at your boyfriend, “your cousin Saleema and I went out to the Lowe’s and picked up a bunch of flowers. She helped me plant half of them but I know you’ll help me do the rest.”

She had a whole lot planned it seemed, considering you two came up for a couple of days for the upcoming family reunion at her house. You honestly thought about not attending, since you didn’t feel like socializing with half of your father’s side (1. they were either in your business to make sure you weren’t doing better than them—it wasn’t a competition in the first place but apparently it was in their eyes, 2. acted like they didn’t know you and expected you to roll out the red carpet for them—meaning if you didn’t speak to them first then that automatically became a problem, or 3. simply weren’t wrapped too tight in the head) but pushed through it since your granny got sensitive about not seeing her grand babies as often now that you were all adults.

Armando chuckled to himself at that, you knew your granny would bring this up since your cousin wouldn’t stop boasting about their outing in the: first cousins group chat. Saleema was older, just touched forty and was single living in her condo with her funny looking cat. She was always your granny’s favorite—perhaps it had to do with her being the first grandchild since your aunt had her young—although Saleema was a true hell raiser throughout her teenage and college years apparently, she hardly got shit on out of the grandchildren and it showed.

“Sure thing…anything you want me to help with on the inside first? You know I’m not built for this type of heat.” You whistled, fanning at the back of your neck after swiping some of the braids to your boho Bob to the side.

Granny Bessie scoffs, “stop that lyin’ baby, you chose to live out there with them gators and those strange Florida folks so you have to be built for some of it.”

Armando laughs as he follows you two into the living room, spotting old photos of: Granny Bessie during her bowling tournaments with her voluminous hair, various of family members, and childhood photos of yourself and many more cousins from previous family reunions.

“Oh you should see her Granny.” Armando speaks up after putting a picture back above the piano, “I think she got bougie on you, she even walks outside with umbrellas.”

Not this man snitching on you?

Granny side eyes you, hand still latched on your waist, “…you not one of them demonic people now are you?”

Now it was your turn to send a dark stare to Armando, who bit down on his bottom lip trying to hide his laughter. He knew what he had started, knowing that your grandmother was religious and always had something to say about other aesthetics? The goths and the emos received no love from Granny Bessie.

“No, grandma!”

You only ever called her by that to show that you were serious.

“Good,” she states with a pat to your hip before adding, “you haven’t contracted high blood pressure yet have you? I just knew it would hit you like it hit your father and me.”

Shaking your head you reply, “Nope, still dealing with low blood pressure actually.”

“That’s why I told you to up your vitamins and eat better foods. Good thing you’re here with me for a few days, I’ll send you on your way brand new,” she dusts her hands off with a clap, “your doctor will be thanking me.”

“As he should, granny Bessie knows all!” You rested your head against the shorter woman.

“Damn straight, now y’all come on in here and get you something to eat.” The elderly woman with the Mother Nature braids waves you two along.

Armando starts to squeeze his way by at the news of eating, hands rubbing together in excitement as his stomach rumbled before he steps to the side to continue letting you two go ahead.

“…ah a gentleman! I think I like him so far.” Granny Bessie whispers up at you, carrying into the kitchen.

It was 7pm by the time Granny Bessie was packing it up and getting ready for bed. She made the arrangements, sticking Armando in the back room while it left herself and you on opposite sides of the home. She of course let the home be open to you two but you knew not to stay up too late since the woman liked to be up early and active. Granny Bessie was in her seventies and still moved quickly even when her Arthritis was acting up. Everyone told her to slow down but granny Bessie has proven that she was always going to what she damn well wanted to.

Which definitely stood when she sent her last warning to you two of where you two would be sleeping for the night.

The both of you stood at the entry way of the ranch home, lips attached and battling each others as Armando swung you towards the wall, hand going to your waist then down the side of your ass to hook your leg over his hip.

“You said Granny Bessie was a snorer didn’t you?” Armando breathed against your neck.

You nod as you lick your lips, “yeah but she’s still a light sleeper and I’m not in the mood to get cussed out when we get caught.”

“When?” Armando quirked up his brows to look up at you, “All you have to do is keep quiet, mami.”

“And you think you’re going to help me do that?” You question while Armando thinks about it, “Yeah no.”

You pecked his lips while running your fingers over his facial hair, “just call me on FaceTime if the night gets too bad.”

For as long as you’ve been dating Armando, you weren’t completely oblivious. You knew that he didn’t adapt well to new spaces and it only got worse at night. The nightmares kept him up and anxiety was a bitch, he was trying to get through it on his own and even tried to hide it from you plenty of times before he moved in but there wouldn’t be any secrets in your relationship.

And you wouldn’t disrespect your granny’s home—never did and never will.

“Alright,” Armando sighed as he kissed your forehead, “better keep your phone charged, we both know how you are.”

You scowl as he pushes the creaking door back that led down the narrow hallway, “that was only a few times and I had valid reasons.”

“Uh huh,” Armando holds his hand out back for you to interlock your fingers before stopping in the middle of the hallway, “…goodnight baby.”

“Sleep tight, don’t let the dolls bite.”

Armando halts at kissing the back of your hand as he steps towards you, head dipped as he quizzes with a soft whisper, “…what fucken dolls?”

You’re trying to silence your cackling at the deadpan angle of Armando’s face on your phone screen as you settle into bed. There’s no cable in this room so you’re stuck leaving the tv on some court show that’ll help you fall asleep. It only took maybe a minute or two for Armando to start calling you, you on your side and arms tucked underneath the comfy blankets that made you feel like you were back in your childhood.

Granny Bessie had all sorts of trinkets decorating the dresser drawer by the side of the door and you had to remind yourself that if you needed to get up during the night to not stub your toe.

“It’s not that bad is it?” You ask while Armando just simply blinks at you, which said enough.

Eventually you’re the one that falls asleep on Armando although you promise that you wouldn’t. He knew that was a lost cause after you decided to shut the tv off, welcoming the pitch black and snuggle deeper into the sheets without him. You were closer to the opposite end of the hallway with your granny right across the hall but her bed sat deep in her own room yet that didn’t stop you from hearing her lawn mowing snores. You even popped an earphone in one ear to drawn out the noise and just enjoyed the company of your man on charge.

He ends up falling asleep after you but it takes him much longer, browsing social media, checking up on his side business, ignoring a text from Marcus, and simply sending a thumbs up to Mike’s text that he was finally boarding. Armando managed to keep himself busy, fighting the urge to snatch up all the weird looking dolls, rip their heads off and shove them in the closet.

He guessed this was a thing with Grandma’s having obsessions with odd items?

He makes sure his own phone in on charge, bringing it back to the FaceTime call of your closed eyes before completely covering his head underneath the covers then dozed off himself.

That doesn’t last long being woken up out of his sleep. There’s a loud booming noise in the distance and he’s tempted to find his piece just to make sure no one was breaking in. Granny Bessie had an alarm system and that didn’t seem to be going off but that didn’t stop Armando from sitting up in bed. He looks at the dolls and it suddenly feels as if their soulless eyes are still watching him.

He tossed the covers back, feet on the carpet, eyes finding a random blue light that he couldn’t find the source of as he passed by the edge of the bed. This room was suffocating and he feels like he’s been sweating underneath the sheets. The house was cool before the both of you went to bed and now it felt like being inside of a sauna.

Armando pulls the door back, peeking out into the abyss of a hallway and he just hopes there’s no one else in the house but you three. Leaving the door open a crack he moves back into the bedroom to grab his phone to use the flashlight since he can’t remember where exactly the hallway light is.

The floor creaks underneath his feet as he moves from the back of the house. As he gets to the middle of the hallway, he picks up on Granny Bessie’s snoring and stops at your room. His fingers rack against the door and he gets no response so he moves forth with twisting the door knob. Your back is to the door now, phone abandoned on the floor but still charging.

He picks it up for you and steps back out.

Armando lets you sleep, heading towards the front of the house. He’s in the entry way and the home feels much bigger in the dark, more eerie but knows he’ll find comfort in the dining room or kitchen—where the snacks are.

It’s 3 in the morning when you get the violent urge to use the bathroom. You try to fight it but the pressure in your belly isn’t pleasant so you throw the covers back in annoyance. It was your own fault chugging that ice cold water before you started making out with Armando but you didn’t need to acknowledge that. Shoving your fuzzy socks on, you pull the door open and head out into the dark hallway. Eyes half lidded as you use the wall for guidance to the bathroom, your head turns to the left to see the hallway door is left open just a crack but you carry into the bathroom.

Leaning against the door after doing your business, you feel a pull to head out into the main areas of the home. You see a light from the right of the dining room and walk through the sitting room towards it. Turning to the right you spot Armando immediately, snacking as you plop down beside him in another chair.

Balling your arms up on the table, you rest your head against them as you ask, “Can’t sleep?”

“You didn’t hear that big ass noise?” He says around the dried fruit he’s chewing on, “Sounded like a whole bomb.”

You hum, “yeah we’re near the military base…I thought I mentioned that.”

“No. You didn’t.”

“My grandad was a vet. They moved here in the early 2000’s, it’s a whole community.” You yawn.

Armando shakes his head, “that sounds like nothing but triggers. I don’t know if that’s worst or the creepy ass dolls following me with their laser blue beams as I snuck out of the room.”

Frowning you sigh, “did you take an edible before bed?”

Armando feels his eye twitch, “no I didn’t take a fucken edible—I’m for real. Is this supposed to be normal? The dolls? The random lights? The bombs? The clicking and buzzing?”

You shrug, “…I didn’t hear any of that…or maybe I just learned to tune it out.”

“I see you didn’t get the light sleeping from your granny then.” Armando mumbles while you snort, moving one arm to latch onto his wrist.

Slowly lifting your head you say, “…well we can’t stay out here for the rest of the morning. Granny gets up at six and probably will let us rest until eight if we’re lucky so…”

Waking up early had no effect on Armando since he barely slept anyways. He already scoped out the area once the two of you got closer to Granny’s home from the airport for a good workout.

You just didn’t know it yet.

Working out with Armando in the gym was a death sentence and you’ll be damned if you do it out in this heat too? You rather go to hell in a pretty hand basket and Armando was willing to take you there honestly.

No pain, no gain.

*Cue the eye roll*

“That’s cool,” Armando shrugged, “but I’m not goin’ back in that room.”

Sitting back against the chair you huff, “fine you big baby…set the timer to 5:45 so you can go back to your room. Don’t think she won’t check once she’s up for the day.”

Armando scowls as you scrape back from the kitchen table, reaching over to slap your backside, “I’ll show you a baby if you keep getting smart.”

Rubbing the sting on your back side, you fan your hand back at him, which he snatched to hold while setting a timer as you both make your way to the hallway. Too tired to give him any lip, you were just ready to get back into bed and cuddling with your man didn’t hurt.

Your back is to Armando, he tucks himself right into you, feet intertwined, his hairy legs prickling your shaven ones, chin buried into the space of your neck and shoulder while cradling your stomach.

“…how long were your grandparents together?”

You heard him but take a minute to respond as you fight sleep, “They’ve been married since the early 60s…all the way up until pa’s passing in 2019.”

Armando breathes you in, “how’d they do it for so long?”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask Granny but they were everything good you can imagine—nothings perfect but they felt like it you know?”

“…Think he was used to all the noises here?”

You snort, “he’s always been a night owl so if any of us couldn’t sleep, he was always up in the living room in his chair, eating that a disgusting banana ice cream just waiting for any of us to talk. If we had a nightmare, he’d do anything to make us laugh until we forgot it.”

“Sounds like a special man.”

“He was.”

“…I want that you know? With you. The kids and the gran’s. The creaks and the strange, a loving home. A place where anybody can stay and feel like life’s worth revisiting, like it was nothing but a breeze once you see who you’re surrounded by. A less lonely life.”

You shuffle to face him now, resting your head underneath his chin, not finding this conversation to be new. Most nights when Armando couldn’t sleep, he would ramble about what a future could look like with you.

It warmed your heart just as much as how warm your granny kept the back of the house.

“Then let’s do it.” You mumble into the night as Armando squeezes you, placing a kiss right on top of your bonnet.

That sealed the deal.

“Morning, dear. How did you sleep?” Granny Bessie asks with a mug of coffee as Armando makes his presence known.

Armando glances at you who sips at your own mug with a hidden small smile, “Good. Thanks, Granny Bessie. I’m actually about to head out for my daily run…would you like to join us?”

That gets you to cast a glance at the man over your shoulder who softly squeezes your shoulders with a grin, “us?” You whisper.

Granny Bessie laughs, “oh no. I need to tend to some things around the house but make sure you eat something because the heat will rise by the time you’re out there. Also did you speak to your daddy about what time we should be expecting him?”

“He probably should have landed by now.” Armando shrugs, trying to ignore the feeling that he felt when Granny Bessie labeled the man as such.

You say, “He texted me about twenty minutes ago. He was heading to baggage claim, maybe in the next hour he should be here.”

“Alright, well you two best be going and stay away from the houses from the next two streets over…nothing but confederates on that side.”

The woman wags her finger in warning.

Armando nods, “Thanks Granny,” he pops a red grape into his mouth, “these are delicious.”

“Take as much as you want, darling.” The woman squeezes his elbow on her way by, “Now I’m going to go get fully ready for Mr. Lowrey.”

Frowning you ask, “now what do you mean by that granny?”

“Just that I need to be presentable in my own home.”

“Uh huh. I know you’ve been on Facebook and know what Mike looks like.”

“I am a woman of God, do not sass me.”

Armando snickers while you raise your hands in surrender, finishing off your morning juice.

“I see you Granny Bessie.” Armando teases while the woman fans her hands at him.

“Hush! Don’t make my bad list, Herman.”

You gently reminded, “It’s Armando, granny.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Okay! love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” She grins.

As you’re locking up the screen door, you and Armando walk around the path to the driveway to exit the home. He silently stops you, encouraging you to stretch while you send him an unimpressed look.

Armando was lucky you didn’t go into hiding around the house and shouldn’t be so bossy but you knew better.

“When did Granny see a pic of Mike?”

You switch to bending to the other toe, “when she wanted to see a picture of you. Then she proceeded to rate you, Dorn, Rafe, and of course…”

Armando laughs as he finishes, “Mike. your granny is a trip.”

“Tell me about it.” You try to prolong this morning exercise but he picks up pretty quick and isn’t having it.

He stops jogging in place, hand going out to slap your ass before pulling you along by the hand.

You’re wheezing, ready to throw a whole tantrum, legs stinging, wrists limp as you drag yourself up Granny’s driveway. There’s a Porsche parked to the right in the driveway by the rental you picked up from the airport. Mike’s already out of the car, at the trunk as he’s pulling out his luggage.

“Hey y’all! uh oh, Armando what did you do to my girl?” The smile vanishes from Mike’s face as his son glances back at you.

If the ground wasn’t so damn hot, if the air, if everything wasn’t on temperature hell you would have face planted right on the gravel.

Armando also looks back at you, hands on your knees as you give a wave to Mike, whose brows are deeply furrowed before he raises them to the twenty-eight year old closest to him.

“She’s aight.” He shrugs, “we needed to get our cardio in and she’s the one who wanted to tone that hot girl body up—her words not mine but I don’t disagree.” Armando looks at you again, biting down on his bottom lip, “she’s lucky I didn’t strap any weights to her ankles.”

Raising your hands above your head, you actually feel yourself sway doing that movement over touching your knees and Mike actually takes a step toward you but Armando presses the back of his knuckles against his bio dad’s chest. Mike takes his eyes off you for a second and sizes Armando’s hand as he’s now analyzing you closely himself.

“I don’t know how many serious girlfriends you done had in your life man but I’m telling you right now, if that girl ends up in the hospital with heat stroke because of you pushing her too hard, that’s your ass.” Mike warns Armando, who glares up at him.

He didn’t need Mike to tell him about you.

He was the one who took the time to get to know you mind body and soul.

Mike’s missed out on twenty-something years and didn’t get to give Armando any advice.

And that’s on Kanye!

Armando does move over to you the moment you feel your stomach clench, ready to upchuck any light breakfast you had. He doesn’t waste time picking you up and over his shoulder, you resting limply against him before he’s walking by Mike.

He pauses, “your room is the last room at the back of the house, padre.”

And with that Armando continues towards the house, ready to cater to you because what Mike Lowrey didn’t know was that Armando would die for you.

Mike is mumbling to himself, trying to control his temper since it felt like he was building a connection with Armando one minute and then in the next he was pulling ten steps back. The kid didn’t even offer to come back and help him bring his things in—not that Mike needed it but it was a decent thing to do.

Respect was earned and the duo had a long way to go.

So Mike lets it go, slamming the trunk shut before meeting a very excited Granny Bessie at the front door.

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More Armando content here.

[rafeandonlyrafe]

m.i.a.

words: 900

warnings: mentions of violence/murder but it is not serious, rafe being kind of controlling but mainly freaking out

“can you get your nose out of your phone country club?” barry asks, as rafe has them pull over yet again on their ride to the other side of the island.

“y/n hasn’t responded yet, i’m fucking worried man, she never takes this long to reply to my text.” rafe knew that you were planning on surfing with a couple of your friends, but you sent him a text saying that you got home three hours ago, and you haven’t responded since. 

“maybe she’s too busy with another dude.” barry says with a laugh, but then catches rafes worried face, “man, i’m messing with you. she’s crazy in love with you, maybe her phone just died.”

“yeah, maybe.” rafe sighs, pushing the phone into his pocket. “lets ride.” he doesn’t mention to barry that your house is on this side of the island and after they finish their business that he’s stopping by.

rafe puts his helmet back on as they take off, sour look on his face as his mind runs through the scenarios of what you might be doing. barry rolls his eyes, knowing the quick job they were supposed to do is now going to be a lot more complicated with rafe being all grumpy.

“i’m gonna kill whoever she is with.” rafe says when they stop at the house they’re supposed to pick up some money from.

“rafe!” barry groans. “focus on the job. this dude is giving us half up front, the other half when we deliver the product. don’t fuck anything up.”

“how can i fuck up him handing over some money?” rafe sets his helmet down on his bike seat. “come on, i just want to hurry up and get it over with, i need to go to y/ns house.”

“alright, man.” barry rolls his eyes, heading towards the house. rafe is silent for the entire handover, brooding in the corner, occasionally pulling out his phone to send you a text.

“i think you scared the crap out of him.” barry says as they leave, getting back on their bikes. “do you want me to come with you to y/ns?” 

“yeah. if someone is there with her you can fucking shoot him.” rafe revs his bike before taking off.

barry sighs, knowing rafe is overreacting, but can’t get out of the cycle of anger thats spiraling in his head. he follows close behind, only a short ride to your house, a cottage right on the water that got passed down to you from your grandma. 

“no other car in the driveway.” rafe observes, parking his bike right behind your jeep. “of course not. i’m telling you man, she’s head over heels for you, she’s not cheating.” barry says, heading to the door right behind rafe. 

rafe takes his keys out of his pocket, opening your front door with the key you gifted to him on your one year anniversary, giving him access to your house whenever he wants.

“living room clear.” barry says.

“we’re not fucking cops.” rafe says, heading right towards your bedroom. he pushes the door open, stopping when he sees you laying on your bed, phone abandoned on your nightstand, eyes closed as you nap.

“aww, my baby.” all of the worries going on in rafes head are completely gone, seeing that you’ve simply fallen asleep, not ignored or cheated on him. 

you move in your sleep, adjusting to lay on your side. rafe moves to the side of your bed, needing to be close to you after all the worry that went through his head.

“hey, honey.” rafe places his hand on your cheek, rubbing it gently.

your eyes flutter open, taking in rafes face. “rafey.” you go to sit up, but rafe stops you. “i- i didn’t mean to fall asleep, sorry.” 

“it’s okay, honey.” rafe kisses you gently, “you must have been tired after surfing, huh?”

you go to reply when you realize you’re not alone in the room, startling slightly as your eyes land on barry. “oh!” you press a hand to your chest. “hi barry!”

“hi y/n.” he looks to rafe. “told you, country club. see you tomorrow.” barry walks out of your room, closing the door behind him.

“told you what?” you ask as rafe slips off his shoes, climbing into bed with you.

“oh, it’s nothing.” rafe says, but you can tell from his tone that something is off. “what?” you giggle, slinging your leg over his waist, snuggling in close.

“i just… kinda freaked out when you didn’t answer your phone.” rafe admits, wrapping an arm around your shoulders so you can rest your head against his chest.

“you didn’t think i was cheating on you, did you?” you laugh, but instantly shut your mouth seeing that rafe frowns. “baby!” you sit up slightly. “you really think i would do that to you?”

“no, i don’t.” rafe pulls you back to laying down. “i was just thinking of the worst case scenario.” 

“well, i would never do that to you honey.” you kiss him deeply, but have to pull away to yawn. “i was just sleepy.”

“aww, my sleepy baby.” rafe laughs. “wanna keep napping? i’ll stay here.”

“you sure? you’re all done with barry?” you ask, but pull the blanket over your bodies and close your ask. “yes, and even if i wasn’t, you come first.”

you giggle, “thank you honey… can we spoon?”

[uglypastels]

You're On Your Own, Kid / A Munson Story

a/n I got this random idea today of "what if Eddie had a long lost sister" and thought it would be fun to just drabble away at it, but the drabble got longer and I got more and more invested in these two dorks, so yeah, I might write more about them if anyone is interested..

word count: 2031

warning: swearing. Mentions of troubled families. not much else[?]

Taglist Temporarily Inactive - Masterlist - Requests through Inbox

When the Hawkins gang met Eddie, the first thing they learned about the Hellfire Club leader was that he was a talker but rarely talked about himself. He can go on for hours talking about DnD campaigns or the latest fantasy book he's read [and don't get him started about the upcoming Metallica album. He will not shut up,] but he rarely reveals anything about himself. Learning about his past was more of a scavenger hunt of his life story's tidbits rather than... a story.

The worst part was that Eddie did not even realise he had done this. Perhaps he assumed everyone knew everything about him (since most act like that anyway, accusing him of shit left and right.)

Thus, moments like this happened as Eddie was talking about how he needed to fix his car because the last time he drove it, it shut down in the middle of the road.

"Made me think of the time my dad's car flunked and he send me and my sister out to find someone to call for help since we didn't have a phone."

"What?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, we had to walk like fice miles until we ran into some shack. Nice lady lived up there. She gave us cookies." Eddie shrugged, reminiscing.

"No, no that," Nancy clarified Robin's question. "You have a sister?"

"Oh. Yeah." Eddie just blinked. "Didn't I tell you guys?"

A collective No erupted all around the room. So, Eddie was forced to tell them everything about you. How you were only a year younger than him, always a pain in the ass, but a great sport to tag along in all of the shenanigans that he came up with as a kid. The two of you were inseparable until your dad landed in jail for the one too-manyeth time, and you were separated.

"I went to live with our uncle, while she went upstate to live with our grandma. She would have taken us both but her house smelled too much like sauerkrout."

"Do you still see her?" Steve asked.

"My grandma? No, she died last year."

"Your sister." Steve said, failing to hide the exhaustion caused by the conversation.

"We used to visit each other every summer and all the school holidays, but you know, as we got older, we just grew apart, I guess. Last year, she went off to college, then granny died so we saw each other at the funeral, said we’d call but neither of us did… and we haven't really talked since." Eddie started finicking with a loose thread on his ripped jeans as a moment of heartfelt silence fell across the room. 

 Robin broke through that flawlessly, however. ‘So, call her now,’ she called out. Eddie looked up at her, bewildered. 

‘What, like right now?’ 

‘Yeah, invite her over to stay for the summer. I’m sure she’ll be glad you have re-entered civilisation and made some new friends.’ Robin’s eyes grew in size with excitement as she declared all the new plans, and the rest listened intently, whether they wanted to or not.

And that’s more or less why you were woken up in the middle of the night by the phone ringing. 

‘Hullo?’ you grudged out, wiping the sleep out of your eyes. ‘Hey, Judes.’Your brother’s voice came from the other side quietly, not at all what you were used from him… not that you were used to hearing anything at all these days. 

‘Hey, everything alright?’ You checked the alarm clock next to your bed. Why the hell was your brother calling you at 1 am? 

‘Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just with some friends and—’ 

‘Let me stop you right there,’ you cut him off, ‘are you either A) dying or B) in prison?’

‘No, I’m fine.’

‘Then why, in god’s damned name, are you calling me at this fucking hour?’ There was a moment of silence. Some mumbling on the other line, followed by a hushed curse as Eddie presumably checked the clock and finally realised what time it was. 

‘Shit, sorry. I didn’t even realise it was this late, like I said I’m just hanging out with some people.’

‘Figured.’ You grumbled, letting your head fall back onto your pillow. ‘I’m hanging up now, E–’

‘No wait!’ He shouted hard enough to wake you up again, as well as all your neighbours. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’

‘Then just do it. I’m trying to sleep.’

‘Would you want to come back to Hawkins for the Summer?’

‘Why the fuck would I want to go back to Hawkins?’ The sweltering heat was nothing to be missed, and the last time you were back in your hometown, the most interesting thing that happened was a man getting attacked by an owl. Of course, you missed your older brother and waited with a heavy heart for the day that he himself left that shithole to pursue the dreams you knew he still had. 

‘My friends want to meet you.’

‘I’ve been to like 5 of your “concerts”, you dork. I know all of your friends.’ Your eyes were getting heavier by the second, and all your energy was being used to remember to hold up the phone to your face and respond to whatever nonsense Eddie was spewing on the other end of the line. 

‘No, I uhh— I made somed new ones, believe it or not.’

‘No fucking way. At your grown age?’

‘Fuck off.’

‘No, fine, I’ll come. Will have to check with work but I’ll let you know this week.’

‘Ok, cool.’

‘Cool.’

‘Cool.’

‘I’m going to sleep now.’ 

‘Cool.’

‘Fuck you.’ And with that, you hung up. Not even five seconds later, you had dozed back off. 

Simultaneously, Eddie hung the phone back on the wall, feeling both as if a weight had fallen off his shoulder and as if he had just swallowed a giant boulder and was sinking to the bottom of Lover’s Lake. 

He turned around towards the room and was met with three awaiting pairs of eyes. 

‘And?’ Robin nudged him to speak.

‘She’s got to check her schedule.’ Eddie shrugged, not thinking much of it. That’s how your conversations have been over the last few years. Schedules always seemed to be booked, but promises would be made just to be broken over and over. So when his friends looked so excitedly at him, he was unsure what to do. After all, he doubted that this would be the time things would be different.

And how wrong he was. 

The next day, you called him back, this time waking him up at a slightly more human hour: noon. 

‘Sorry, I forgot you were taking your nap.’ You joked, certainly much to his appreciation, before telling him you got a few days off in the upcoming month. Maybe it was his abruptly awoken state, but it took a moment for the penny to drop and Eddie to react. And even then, it was a bit lacklustre. 

‘Ok, great. See you here in a few.’

It wasn’t your fault. At least not yours alone; in truth, you felt the same. Your childhood had not been a very stable one, as you moved from house to house as your parents tried to cling onto any job until it was finally too much. You and Eddie got dragged apart into two completely different sides of the world [that’s how big Indiana felt at the time, at least.] But no matter what, there was always one thing you could count on your family for: disappointment. 

Somehow, they [you and your brother included] just always managed to screw things up in the most fashionable way. To the point that it was easier not to have any hopes for anything because you knew that, to a certain extent, they would never be met. 

So, in the days leading up to your reunion, you didn’t let yourself be excited or dare to think of what to do or say to Eddie, only expecting a phone call from him to cancel everything with a half-assed apology. You knew that he was most likely awaiting the same thing from you. 

But somehow, against all odds, none of that happened. The days went by, and there were no changes to any plans. Your drive back to Hawkins was as smooth as ever, up to the Welcome sign. 

You weren’t entirely surprised to have learned that Eddie was still living with your uncle, but at least that was an address you knew all too well. It was really only once your wheels started to graze that gravel road that the reality of the situation hit you. And there he was, standing at the door of that damned box on wheels, hands in pockets like he always used to do when he was nervous, swinging back on forth on his feet. The only change was the cigarette between his lips to calm himself down. 

Assumably, at the sound of your approach, three heads popped out of the trailer door. More or less. You could see them looking through the little curtain that usually covered the window. You drove until you couldn’t any longer and stopped the car, taking the time for three deep breaths before getting out and into your brother's arms. 

‘You smell like shit.’ They were not meant to be the first words you said to him, but the ratchet stench of weed was overwhelming. 

‘Good to see you too.’ He hugged you tightly.

‘So good.’ You hugged him even tighter until he squeaked out in pain. 

Eddie groaned as you let go of eachother. ‘I really missed you, Judy.’

‘Wait, Judy?’ The curious heads finally popped out from behind the curtain and stepped out into the trailer's front yard. So it really was true: Eddie had made new friends—friends who looked particularly confused, just like you and Eddie had predicted at four years old. 

‘It’s just what Elroy calls me,’ you pointed at Eddie. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘Judy— Elroy— wait, like the Jetsons?’ The guy in the middle said. His brows had knitted together as he deducted this conclusion to your little joke, and you had to admit he looked pretty cute. 

‘Exactly like the Jetsons. It was one of the only things we could agree on watching together.’

‘Well, that’s just adorable.’ The girl on the cute guy’s right said before introducing herself. ‘I’m Robin.’ She waved her hand with a slightly awkward smile. ‘That’s Steve,’ she poked the guy in the ribs with her elbow as he just stood there like a lost, yet excited, puppy. 

‘Right, hey, hi.’ He leapt into motion, extending his hand for a shake. 

‘Hi.’ You replied before letting go, then turned your attention to the other girl who politely awaited her turn.

‘I’m Nancy. It’s really nice to meet you. Eddie’s told us so much about you.’

‘I highly doubt that.’ You laughed, glancing over at your brother, who you never knew to talk about personal things.

‘We might have forced him a little bit.’ Robin admitted. ‘Would you like a drink? We got some rootbeer on ice inside.’

‘My favou-

‘We know,’ they said in chorus, confirming the previous statement made.

You heard your car door open and shut behind you, and when you turned around, Eddie was hauling your bag over his shoulder.

‘You could have just left it in the car for now.’ Sure, the trailer park was full of interesting characters, but no one would go as low as stealing from their neighbours. 

‘It’s not safe.’ Eddie huffed out over the weight of the bag. ‘Not since the raccoon?’ 

‘Raccoon?’ You blinked, looking between Eddie and Steve, who held the door open for you.

‘It’s better if you don’t ask,’ Steve said, making you want to ask even more. As you entered the trailer, with endless images of what could have happened between Eddie and that raccoon, the smell of popcorn filled the small living room, and you found your spot on the couch next to a politely smiling Steve, you suddenly felt like your Summer in Hawkins could end up being quite interesting after all. 

[multiplefandoms15]

Listen to me

Summary: you teach lo'ak and the others how to get dad(jake) to listen to them

Warnings: angst(at first), fluff, sibling talk, comfort, sibling love, tying to a tree, flashbacks, memories from childhood, y/n is 25, neteyam is 18, lo'ak is 17, kiri is 16 and tuk is 10(she has her own ikran)

Lo'ak x older sister reader, neteyam x older sister reader, jake x reader, Neytiri x reader, sully family x reader, sully family x daughter/sister reader, kiri x older sister reader, tuk x older sister reader

Jake was yelling at lo'ak to protect his brother and himself because lo'ak couldn't do it again.

"You need to protect your brother and yourself lo'ak. What if something happened to both of you or you or neteyam what would you do then lo'ak what? You couldn't do nothing then you hear me!" Jake said "yes sir"

"Ma jake your son is actually bleeding"

"Mom it's fine"

"Go see grandmother, go"

Neteyam went to grandma while lo'ak stayed and y/n just watched to make sure lo'ak didn't get into more trouble "your dismissed, grounded and no flying for a month you understand?"

Jake said "yes sir"

..................................

After a fight between lo'ak and neteyam, lo'ak went on his ikran and they flown away.

"Neteyam why would you say that"

"Because it's kind of true"

"NETEYAM"

"What"

"You know what I'm going after them and when we come back, your in big trouble mister"

............................

Y/n was flying with her ikran while looking for lo'ak. Lo’ak sitting at the edge of a cliff, looking out of the beautiful scenery of pandora jungle, of his home.

Y/N came flying on their Ikran, landing on the open space behind Lo’ak.

“You know that you can’t stay here forever right?” y/n said as she was approaching her little brother

“Yeah.”

“It’s been bothering you for days now, baby brother…”

Y/N sitting beside their little brother but Lo’ak didn’t speak to them and still watching the horizon.

“Do you… wanna talk about it? I’ve got all day.” y/n said as she looked at lo'ak.

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

"..."

“You reminded him too much of himself… Reckless, stubborn… not to mention stupid.”

“He-”

“But with a strong heart.”

“…”

“He is scared for us, little brother. Still it doesn’t justify the things he had done.”

“I just- i just want him to listen to me.”

“Then make him listen. Make him see.”

Lo’ak look at Y/N who smile softly at him, they put their hand on Lo’aks head and gently stroke his hair.

Lo’ak shakes his head with a smile and watched them fly to the sky but suddenly he called out for his own ikran.

................

When all the siblings were there y/n being to talk.

"So dad was given me the whole talk about how to fly an ikran"

"Okay"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"What did you say"

"Well i as a 10 year old was bored as hell and had enough of dad talking that i just knocked him out and tied him to a tree."

All the siblings were amazed by there older sister.

"What did you do after he woke up?!"

Tuk asked excited.

"So i give him the talk my way"

*flash back*

"There now that daddy is all tied up just have to wait for him to wake up"

Little 10 year old y/n said.

*a while later*

Jake slowly started to wake up.

"Oww my head, y/n what did you do? Why am i tied to a tree?" Jake said as he looked at y/n.

"Well daddy, I'm sorry but i already know how to fly an ikran mommy already explained to me how to fly an ikran." Y/n said as she looked at jake.

"Oh"

"So...... your not mad at me, daddy?"

"Of course, not baby girl, it's just that you growing up and I'm just sad."

"Well, even when I'm 15 years old I'm still you baby daddy."

"Of course, you are little ladybug now please untie me."

"Sure daddy."

*end of flash back*

"Wow"

"😲"

"Huh"

"That's crazy"

"What can i say I'm good at that stuff"

....................

When the siblings returned back home neytiri and jake were waiting for them.

"Mom"

"Sir"

"Dad"

"Sir"

"Hey"

"Mommy"

"Where were you guys?"

"Just chatting"

"Okay"

.............

And that is how the next day jake found himself tied to a tree with all his kids talking to him.

THE END

A/n: hey guys so this is my first avatar fic at credits to @missroro for the idea

[justmeinadaze]

We're A Family Part 14 (Steddie X You)

A/N: I'm not sorry for the cliff hanger esc ending 😈

I'm going to use this opportunity here to say thank you to the step parents, partners, siblings, foster parents, adoptive parents...all y'all raising children who aren't biologically yours...you are amazing and deserve love and appreciation. The woman I call mom is technically my stepmom but she has been more a mom to me than my own. She showed me how mothers are supposed to be and I love her everyday for that <3.

Warning: Smut, FLUFF, and slight angst, Mr. Harrington pops up making a brief verbal cameo , Eddie mentions an incident about Steve's past heartbreaks as well as briefly (very brief) touches on his life right after moving in with Wayne, I think that's it.

Word Count: 3535

“Does he have to wear a suit?”, Eddie asks as he browses the clothes on the rack above him. 

“I mean he doesn’t have to but it is his first date technically so…”, Steve grins as Dylan rolls his eyes. 

You had already done the whole mom thing where you cried for ten minutes straight because your “baby” was growing up and asked a girl on a date to a dance. When he asked the guys to take him clothes shopping, he had hoped to avoid more of that, thankful when you offered to stay home and watch Aurora. 

“Calm down. I’m not going to coo at you and tell you how big you’ve gotten.”, the man teases as he playfully reaches for his son’s cheeks. 

“I don’t think I should wear a suit. I don’t want to seem…overeager.” Dylan’s eyes scan the shirts in front of him. “What did you guys wear on your first dates?”

“Jesus, um…”, Eddie’s eyes fly to ceiling as he thinks. “Jeans and a Guns & Roses t-shirt, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Of course, that’s what you wore.”, Steve chuckled. 

“Hey! We were like eleven and went to a movie. It wasn’t anything fancy. What about you, sire? I imagine you came out of the womb with a date the next day.” The metalhead smiled as Dylan laughed. 

“For your information, my first date was in 6th grade. I took a girl to the Snowball dance. And yes…I wore a suit.”

“Oh, please tell me there are pictures in a box somewhere at home.” 

“No, thank God.”

“We can ask grandma.”, Dylan smiles mischievously.

“I swear, if either of you ask my mother for pictures—”

“Oh! You’ll what?”, Eddie joked. 

“I’ll…be very upset.”

“Uh huh.”

****

“Do we have to watch it again?”

“Yes!”, Aurora giggles.

You laugh at her smile as you replay “The Empire Strikes Back” on the tv. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re happy. I’m going to kill your dad.”

Just like Dylan had with Harry Potter, Ro seemed to attach to Star Wars. Steve was watching “A New Hope” one afternoon and she sat beside him the entire time completely transfixed. Ever since then she insisted on watching anything you would allow that was Star Wars related. 

“Beep, Beep!”, she mimicked as the front door opened and your three boys came through. 

“Star Wars still?”, Steve asked.

“I hate you. This is your fault.”, you laugh as you quickly rose to your feet. “Sooooo, what did we get?”

“You’ll see.”, Dylan smiles. “Are you guys still chaperoning?”

“Well, I don’t have a choice being a teacher and my boss volunteered me.”

“That’s the spirit, Harrington!”, Eddie chuckles as he wraps his arm around the boy’s neck. “Yes, we will still be there and we promise not to embarrass you…much.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to go call Daisy and tell her what I got.”

You three watch as he excitedly runs up the stairs before you lightly smack Steve’s arm. “What did he get?”

“I can’t tell you!”

“Call it payment for me watching those movies back-to-back with our three-year-old instead of me murdering you.”

“Oh… you won’t murder me. You love me too much.”

########

Dylan watches his dads with intense fascination as they get ready, occasionally getting distracted when he heard his sister say something cute as she helped you get ready out in the bedroom. 

“Mama hair up.”

“Yeah? Here can you brush it for me so I can pull it up?” Aurora grins excitedly when you hand her the brush.

“When it comes to hair, kid, you should let Steve take the reins on that one.” Eddie smiled as he moved out of the way and allowed Dylan space in front of the mirror so the man could show him some techniques. 

“Oooo… Din purty.”, Ro compliments him before waddling to the metalhead. “Daddy! Mama…tie…for hair.”

“Mommy needs a hair tie?” She nods aggressively as he reaches across the sink to get her what she’s asking for. “Here you go, princess.”

“Tank you, daddy.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” His eyes follow after her as she grins and runs back into the bedroom. 

“Alright, little man. What do you think?”

Dylan turns his head from side to side as he checks out his hair. “I love it. Mom! What do you think?”, he asks as he steps out of the bathroom. 

“Oh my god!”, you squeak making the boys laugh. 

“She likes it.”, Steve confirms as he sprays some of his cologne on himself before giving his son a little spritz on his wrist.

“Wow. Bubaful.”, Aurora coos as they all come out together. 

Dylan had decided to not to wear a suit but a nice button up shirt with a small black tie hanging down his front. Still wanting to have some remnants of himself, he decided on wearing his converse with the black jeans he bought fully rounding out his ensemble. He actually looked like he tried to fuse Eddie and Steve’s style together. 

Steve threw on a blue polo with some black slacks and shiny matching shoes. Eddie was donning a plain black shirt with black jeans like Dylan’s and sneakers. 

“Aw, look at my guys.”, you grin as you climb off the bed. 

You were wearing a stunning, casual blue dress with a cute floral print with similar color flats. 

“You look beautiful, honey.”

As the doorbell rings, Ro claps her hands. “Kee!”

“Yes, that would be Aunt Kierra. Here, go open the door and make her feel old.”, you giggle as you push Dylan towards the stairs. 

Eddie picks up his daughter as you four head down as well. 

“Really? Of course, everyone looks good.”, Kierra whines playfully. “Hi Rara.”

“Kee.” She aggressively wiggles out of her father’s arms to run to her aunt. 

“Ah yes. Fun aunt is here and now we don’t matter.”, you smile as you give your sister a hug. As you pull away you notice her own grin turn into a line. “Uh oh. What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“You’ll tell me now.”

“Dylan, can you take this dork and turn on those god-awful movies she likes?” You son laughs as he grabs his sister and carries her into the living room. “So, Mr. Harrington, the evil one not this one here, went to visit our mother the other day.”

You sighed as Steve gently ran his palm down your back. 

“Y/N, you think his dad was upset about you changing your name? Oof. Mom called me screaming saying you were taking it too far. She said she was going to call Charlie and side with him if he decided to go to court…” Her sympathetic eyes met yours. “I didn’t tell her…about him…ya know.”

“I should go talk to her—”

“Well that’s not happening.”, Eddie interrupts. “Sweetheart, do you really think talking to her is going to do any good? She doesn’t care. Now Steve’s dad… he can’t do anything right?”

Steve shook his head. “I mean what can he do? I have no inheritance from his side. Unless he wants to fight my mom. I don’t know. I think it’s more of an image thing now. Two kids with half his name and they aren’t…pure Harringtons.”

Your heart breaks as you listen to him speak. You know how much he hates this conversation. Aurora and Dylan are his kids; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. However, his father and your mother insist on finding little ways to remind him that both children don’t have an ounce of his DNA. 

In a court of law, if you both left him, he would have zero say in where the kids go. Steve understood that would never happen. You both loved him and he loved you. This was his family but those little technicalities always loomed especially when other people brought them to light. 

“Jesus. And our mom thought the Munson’s would be the biggest problem in this dynamic.”

Eddie sticks his tongue out at Kierra who chuckles as she comes around to give him a hug. 

“Hey guys. Can we go now? I don’t want to be late.”, Dylan asks as he comes around the corner. 

“Yes. Sorry. We got distracted by life. Let’s get a move on.” Painting a smile on your face, you grab your dates and head of the door. 

##########

You snuck a picture from your place in the car as you three watched Dylan shyly shuffle up to his date who had been waiting at the front door of the school. Something he says makes her laugh and she blushes as he extends his elbow to her like he had seen the guys do numerous times. She grins, looping her arm in his before heading into the dance. 

“What was your first date?”, Eddie asked as he leaned forward from his place in the backseat.

“Oh my god. I think I was about Dylan’s age. A boy asked me to dinner and a movie. Of course, dinner was some fast-food joint and we snuck into the movie but…”, you giggle. “I had fun. What are you guys going to do when Aurora starts dating?”

“Kill them.”, the metalhead pretends to glare into the distance making you and Steve laugh. 

“Can we not think about our daughter dating? I don’t think I can handle that right now. I can barely handle this.” Steve continues to chuckle as both men get out of the car and open the door for you. 

“Thank you guys for helping him pick out an outfit and getting him ready.”

“You don’t have to—”

You cut Eddie off with a kiss as you wrap your arms around him. “I know I don’t have to. Just let me, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

As you entered the dance, Steve had to detach from you two to tell his boss he was there and offer any assistance they may need. You and Eddie snuck a little closer to where the kids were, smiling when you say your son and his date sitting at a table talking. You can’t help but laugh when “Come Sail Away” by STYX begins to play. 

“Isn’t this way outside of their generation? It’s barely in ours.”

“Eh, I’m sure they have to play it as safe as possible.”, the metalhead grins as he takes your hand and pulls you towards the edge of the dance floor where some of the other adults were swaying to the music. Your arms wrap around his neck as he clings to your waist.

“So, you and Steve would have went to school here to, right?”

“You are correct but we didn’t really hang out till high school.”

“Do you remember him?”

“Oh, princess, everyone knew who Steve Harrington was. King Steve with his awesome fashion sense and cool head of hair. I fucking hated him.”, Eddie chuckles. “Something changed his junior year. He started seeing this girl and I think she changed his perspective on some things. By senior year, he was a new man more or less.”

“What happened to the girl?”

“They broke up. She, uh, told him she didn’t love him.”

“Aw. Poor Stevie.” Your eyes shifted towards him, watching as he talked to some of the other teachers. “What about little Edward Munson. What was he like at school here?”

“Oof. Angry. Confused. Nerdy.”, he laughs. “I had been living with Wayne for a little under a year at this point. I was still trying to figure things out and this town sure as hell didn’t make it any easier.” You lean up on your toes to kiss his lips before resting your cheek on his chest. “I think the one good thing that came out of middle school was me getting into D & D. I thought it was amazing and gave me a place I could escape to.”

The music picked up tempo and you grinned as you watched Dylan walk his date to the dance floor. Eddie twirls you in his arms and your grin grows as you both dance along to the faster beat. You don’t see it but Steve pulls out his phone and begins recording his little family having fun. 

“Dylan is yours, right?”, asks one of his colleagues.

“Yeah, that’s my son.”, he beams before pointing towards you and Eddie. “That’s my wife and husband.”

She tilts her head at his statement but he doesn’t notice nor care. He’s having too much fun watching you three.

##########

“Well, look at this.”, the metalhead grinned as he looked around the classroom. “The kid who was bad in class actually has his own classroom.”

Steve thought it would be a good idea for you guys to walk around a bit and allow Dylan some time alone with his date without you in the room so he decided now would be a good time to show you his room that you two hadn’t got to see yet. 

“I wasn’t bad…I just didn’t care.”

You smiled at him as you wrapped your arms around his waist, giggling when you feel something vibrate. 

“Is that me or you?”

He grins as he pulls out his phone before it gradually begins to fade. “My father is calling me.” You take the phone out of his hand and place it on his desk, allowing it to ring as you bring his lips to yours. 

“I love you. No matter what he or my mom says.”

“I know.”

“I know you know but I also know…sometimes when he says things…it still hurts you.”

“Like Aurora and Dylan not being Harringtons.”, Eddie cut in. Steve’s phone went silent but after a few moments yours started to ring, grinning sassily as you flashed him the screen. “Do you think we should go for gold and see if he calls me?”

You handed the metalhead your phone. “Do with it what you will, my love.”

He raises his eyebrows playfully in your direction before placing the device to his ear. “Mr. Harrington! How can the Munson-Harrington family assist you today?”

“Where is my son? I need to speak with him NOW!”

“Uh, last I checked, you hadn’t spoken to Steve in three years. When did he become your son again and what do you need from him?”

Your hand reaches out to grip Steve’s chin, turning him to face you. “Look at me, baby. Let Eddie handle him and you focus on me.” He exhales heavily as you palms slide down his chest. “We won’t get in trouble, right?”

“Not if we don’t get caught.”  

He lifts you into his arms and places you on his desk, lips mingling with your own as your limbs circle around his neck. 

“Is this the real reason you wanted to show us your classroom?”, you tease as he smiles. 

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve fantasized about bending you over my desk.”

“Then do it, Steve. Please. I’m yours, baby.”

His fingers fumbled with his zipper as you lifted your hips to pull your underwear down your legs, grinning when you toss them to Eddie who sticks his tongue out as he catches them. Your eyes gesture towards the closed door and he gets the message, heading that way to keep a look out.

“Mr. Harrington, no. Dylan IS Steve’s son. He loves him and has helped raise him for half his life so far. I know that’s a foreign concept to you since you don’t know what actually raising a child looks like.”

Steve turns you till your back is to him and you lean over his desk as he grips your hips, guiding his cock into your entrance. Your eyes flutter closed as he thrusts into you, hitting that spongy spot deep inside of you making you moan. 

“Y-yes, Steve. Fuck.”

All sound drowns out of the room as he leans his chest down to your back and wraps his arms around you. 

“Does that feel good, honey? My dick—mmm—deep inside you like this.”, he mewls into your ear. “Tell me, baby.”

“Your cock is so deep. F-feels so good…please.”

“Do you think you can be quiet if I fuck you harder? You wouldn’t—fuck—you wouldn’t want us to get caught, right?”

You shake your head and he smiles as he lifts his arm up your body till its nestled under your chin. Your back arches as he roughly rolls his hips against yours at a faster pace. 

“Mr. Harrington, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t hear a word you said mostly because I don’t care but also because I’m watching Steve fuck our wife and, as always, it’s the hottest fucking thing in the world. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to let them finish and then most likely cum in his pretty little mouth. Fuck off and leave our family alone.”

With that, Eddie hangs up the phone and tosses it to the side as he unzips his pants, pulling out his own cock as he strokes it to the sight of you both. 

“Cum, baby. Be my good girl and cum for me, honey.” Steve grunted when your pussy clenched tighter around him, his palm quickly moving to cover the loud moan that escaped your mouth. “You like that? Mmm—you like me calling you a good girl?”

You place your hand over his, feeling his alone won’t stifle the continuous whimpers that you pant out as he continues to whisper in your ear. The coil in your tummy snaps as you lean your head back against his shoulder and grip his hair through your fingers. 

“That’s it. That’s it, Y/N. Fuck, you’re so…so fucking…beautiful.” His arms cling to your body as you feel him thrust his release into your cunt. Neither of you moves as you both try and catch your breath. “Are you ok?”

You nod as you gesture towards the groaning metalhead. “He…he may need you though.”, you say with a knowing smile. 

Steve gradually pulls out of you, kissing your cheek before tucking himself back into his pants and sauntering towards Eddie. They exchange a soft kiss, the man smiling as he descends to his knees and takes his cock into his awaiting mouth. 

You search the desk, finding the tissue you were looking for, and use it to clean between your legs. After readjusting your dress, you slide up beside them and Eddie hastily brings your lips to his. When he turns away, you continue to trail kisses along his neck and jawline. 

“Fuck, Steve. Don’t…don’t move.”

His palms come down and hold the boys head by his hair as he pumps his hips. You cover his mouth as a strangled grunt leaves his lips and his body folds in slightly as he climaxes. Steve milks him, licking every last drop till the boy was clean before rising to his feet. 

Their eyes meet and Eddie gave him a big tooth filled grin. “So, your dad says hi.”

########

“Did you have fun, baby?”

“Yeah, mom. I did. I asked Daisy to a movie next Friday. Is that ok?”

“Uh, I don’t see why not.”

You sister smiles as you for walk into the house. “I don’t know what you did but Mr. Harrington isn’t returning our mother’s calls.”

“Good. One less thing to worry about I guess.”, Eddie grins. “Where’s Ro?”

“She knocked out about an hour ago. I was afraid to move her and wake her up.” She gestures towards the living room and he heads that way, carefully lifting her sleeping frame in his arms. He pauses at Kierra’s side allowing her to kiss her niece’s forehead. 

As she leaves, Dylan gives her a big hug before running upstairs and Steve throws himself down on the couch as you begin locking up the house. 

“Shit. Hey, baby. Can you bring me my phone? I want to send my mom some of the pictures I took tonight.”

“Yeah, of course.”, you smile as you grab his phone from the counter. “Can I send myself some so I can send them to Kierra?” He nods and your smile grows as you unlock his device. 

“She’s going to get a kick out of him and her slow dancing. We should send Dylan some to so he can show Daisy—what?” You had frozen in place and your smile had faded as your eyes scanned the screen in front of you. “Honey? Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“’Baby #3 Expenses.’”, you read. 

“Y/N…I—”

“’Can we afford it?’ No, Steve. We can’t.”

He exhales heavily and he rises to his feet. “Actually…if you look at the math—”

“Really? Really. Ha-have you thought about, oh I don’t know, SPACE! This is a three-bedroom house, Steven. We-we would have to move which cost time and money! And…”

“What’s going on?”, Eddie asks as he cautiously enters the living room.

“The three of us have our jobs and two kids…we-we barely have time for anything else!” You feel yourself start to panic as you wrap your arms around yourself. “We are NOT ready for a baby right now.”

“Well, that sounds familiar.”, the metalhead sighs.

###########

@adequate-superstar @kalinaselennespeaks @alienthingstwo

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[ros3kill3r]

The Marauder’s Era characters as Uncles/Aunts

James Potter-Black - The Embarrassing Uncle

This man is giving that child ass loads of chocolate and sugar, and Regulus is watching from the side without a word.

Will hear the child fart and will start to tell everyone about what he heard without shame, thinking it’s something cute to say but it’s really not.

Will give you a 2 dollar bill because he thinks that makes him the cool uncle and that’s just even more embarrassing.

He will buy you a toy truck/a Barbie house when you’re 18 and think it’s cute because that’s what they played with “back in his day”.

Will pick you up from school and trip, grab the wrong kid, say hi to an old grandma and get whipped with her cane, cuss in front of a staff member, wear a cartoon t-shirt, etc.

Sirius Lupin - The Judgmental Uncle

Will talk about the wildest shit omd

He’ll be at a family gathering and start talking shit about everyone he can. “Yeah you know uncle Barty? Now, you know I’m not one to judge, but apparently his father whipped him because he fucked a man!” And Lily from 5 miles away is like, “SIRIUS BLACK THAT IS A CHILD!!”

Says the most out of pocket things, like it’ll be complete silence in the room and all of a sudden he says, “…I heard Marlene listening to Olivia Rodrigo, but the songs she made back in her Disney days-“

Remus repeatedly tells him to calm down with some of the shit he says because dear lord-

Was at a pool party once and Regulus got thrown in the pool and he went, “Poor boy can’t even swim, look at him he thinks he’s a mermaid…why’s he flapping around like that?”

Remus Lupin - The Wise ‘Old’ Uncle

Knows the weirdest facts? Like why does this man know how to hide a body (it helps uncle barty and evan at least?)? How turtles look like naked? What’s in outer space? How does he know we aren’t alone?-

Everyone comes to him for facts and studying and homework and he’s just a wise old man who looks younger than everyone else yet he’s smarter??

Will say some stupid quotes and speeches from books/theaters as ‘inspiration’ and he’d think he’s so wise and he just had a mic-drop moment.

Always tells Sirius to mind his own business and calm down yet he’s always being nosy and interrupting conversations with a new quote he heard.

Dedicates every single thing in life after something inspirational. This man is saying the goofiest shit like, “Oh c’mon don’t worry about those things! Hey, you know what I like to say? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!!”

Peter Pettigrew - The Painfully Independent Uncle

He’s shorter than everyone else and people offer to help him when he’s reaching for the top cabinet but he always denies them bc one of the kids asked him for once.

Perhaps he’s independent because no one pays attention to him and that’s just what he’s used to.

Sorry.

Lily Macdonald-Evans - The Oversharing Aunt

No one knows why she shares so much about everything. She probably saw a poster that was looking for a missing dog and she’d talk to everyone about it.

This woman is yapping whenever she tells a story: “So I walked out of the house and I noticed the crunchy leaves and it reminded me of fall, oh did you know there’s a parade during fall? Crazy! Anyway, so I walked to a cafe and got my order and—WAIT so like the girl was really cute I asked her for her number, she was so sweet and so was the latte! Anyway--“

The type of aunt to order something with you and mention: “Yes that’s my order. I told ___ to order but they’re too embarrassed! Kids these days am’iright?”

Mary Macdonald-Evans - The Story Telling Aunt

This bitch be dropping some bomb ass lore every damn time there’s a family get together/gathering.

“When I was your age we used to go outside. There was this one time where I sliced my thumb in half when running! And then I saw the pope and he blessed me with a banana, and then I went back home and ate a knife—“

“You know, your aunt Lily murdered someone once—“ “did you know that uncle barty once beat me up—“ “uncle James ate 6 bees one time.” “I used to go outside and eat raw fish in the pond and I got salmonella. I could’ve died!”

Is making wild ass hand gestures at the table when telling a story and Lily repeatedly elbows her so she sits tf down.

Marlene Meadows-McKinnon - The unexplainably weird Aunt

Will sometimes approach you and smile at you for 5 minutes before walking away.

Will laugh at something so unfunny and will make a bored face when something is hilarious.

Will cut her finger and drink the blood and start hissing at everyone and will cackle to herself. People start feeling bad for Dorcas.

Will see a hot girl on screen and start barking and growling like a wild animal.

She’s just weird and the kids don’t get it, only the elders do.

Dorcas Meadows - The Artistic Aunt

Has thousands of tattoos that all mean something to her and it’s insane how many she has.

When you enter her house she has a whole room dedicated to her work and she does everything; painting, sketching, drawing, pottery, clay art, tattoos, piercings, etc.

Can look at your face and memorize literally every tiny detail.

Offers to do your tattoos/piercings when you’re older behind your parents’ backs because she gave ear piercings to all of the kids when they were little.

Regulus Potter-Black - The Stern Uncle

Won’t let you eat or drink anything sweet after 6 PM.

Will get upset when you sneak out or ditch school.

Very cold but when you know him very well you can tell his heart is made of gold—I mean seriously how can you think otherwise??? Uncle James is married to him!

Has favorites and allows them to do whatever they want. Will tell kids that if they don’t wash their hands the boogie monster will come and gut them. James told him to stop.

Barty Rosier - The Insane Uncle (duh)

Will casually announce to the whole table that he recently murdered someone. You would sit there in shock and look around the table, noticing that no one even batted an eye. Hell, uncle James asked him how it went!!

His and uncle Evan’s house is all dark and almost satanic. They have real skulls, blood and teeth in jars, they have a whole room filled with all kinds of weapons and body parts. You don’t know how they haven’t been caught yet.

They have a ‘plant’ room that they sell around.

For some reason he’s the best fucking uncle alongside evan and James bc he’s just so fucking funny and cool and chill and his kids are too and sometimes you wish they were your parents instead.

Right when you turn 18 he takes you out to make your ‘first kill’…and it’s not an animal. He also shows you how to defend yourself (if you’re a girl/weak especially), and shows you how to beat the shit out of someone.

Evan Rosier - The Crazy Uncle

Is the only one that manages to balance out barty.

Isn’t that crazy but whenever he is…it’s horrifying. (It turns uncle barty on for some reason?? Their kids hate it.)

Is so hot. Every time a friend is over they all fall in love with him. He notices this and he starts to feed their delusions. Every one hates it. You, Barty, and Sirius find it funny though!

One time he was so angry that he legit went out for a whole day, made Barty worried (which never happens), and came back 3 days later in the middle of the night drenched in blood and 50 murders circling the news.

Pandora does not support this behavior but evan got angry at her one time for bothering him about it and she let it go. They’re very stubborn which means he hasn’t apologized and she still brings it up to make him guilty.

Pandora Lovegood - The Adorable/Therapist Aunt

She’s just so whimsical and sweet and caring and nice and cute and pretty and and and

Always buys you crystals and spiritual things that she insists is very good for you and will protect you.

Surrounds herself with those blue eyes (?) to keep off bad energy.

Is covered in tattoos but they are small and meaningful.

Gives the best advice and her laugh is so fucking adorable.

She’s just here to show you that you belong, that you matter, and to include you in everything so you’re never left out bc she gets it. She’s the only one you can come to for anything.

[shelbgrey]

hello hope ur doing well! could i possibly request writing prompt 1.6 with rusty asking danny if two people can be happy together forever bc rusty wants to ask his gf/reader to marry him ? i think it would be super cute ^.^ thank you!

Short story: The Big Question (Rusty Ryan)

Paring: Rusty Ryan x Ocean!Reader X Brother!Danny Ocean

Summary: Rusty wants to pop the big question, but part of him fears he still isn't right for her. He goes to Danny for some advice.

Prompt: 1.6) “I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.” - “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

MasterList ML2

Rusty sat the bar bouncing his knee up and down nervously as he sipped his scotch. The more the thought about this life changing decisions, the more nervous he got. Danny knew where he would be hiding and went looking for him.

“figured I find you here” Danny took the seat next to Rusty. “what's eating you?”

Rusty tilted his head back and downed the rest of the drink before setting the glass down. The suddenly asks, “when did you know you wanted to marry Tess?”

Danny raised an eyebrow, not expecting thst questions and honesty he didn't know how to awnser right off the bat. The guy could be perfect match, but what man can honestly awnser that question right off the bat. Danny shrugged. “I don't know... I guess I just knew” Danny paused and nodded. “no, I knew with outta dought she was the one...of course it wasn't easy with her, but then again I wasn't either”

Rusty sighed and dug somthing out of his pocket then set it on the bar counter without a word. Danny looked down and it was a small, red velvet box. “oh, you bought a ring?”

“yeah...” Rusty said, letting out a airy chuckle.

“and your gonna ask her...”

“yep” Rusty quickly respond, popping the 'P' at the end. He fiddled with the box, not mentioning he's been carrying it in his pocket for a month and a half almost. He opened the box and showed Danny the beautiful ring. It wasn't overy extravagant, just how she liked it.

“pretty ring... You did a lot better than I did the first time around” Danny said, drinking the Scotch that was brought over to him by the bar tender.

“ya know, this is the first honest thing I ever bought? I don't know man, I couldn't bring myself to by it with the money we stole”

Danny chuckled. “hey, we worked hard for that money” Danny thought for a moment, wrinkled his eyebrows together in confusion as he turned his head back to Rusty. “okay... If you didn't use the money from the heist, where did you get it?”

“grandma's inharatens... That old bat still takin' care of me even when she's dead... Spent every last penny”

Danny picked up the box, looking at the Dimond ring. Not in a million year would he have expected Rusty to buy a ring, let alone buy a ring for his little sister. Looking back now Danny could see the signs he didn't see back then, at first he thought y/n just had a little crush and before he knew it Rusty and y/n pick him up from prison and tell him they are dating.

To this day the team doesn't know how it happened, it's kind of a inside joke now and if anybody asks the stories get more and more ridiculous. Then y/n and Rusty settled with just calling it 'the incident'.

Rusty took a deep breath “I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.”

Danny sighed and sat back in his chair, he thought about what he should say and shouldn't say. Then he thought about Tess and their past. “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

“you and Tess got devorced once... What if that happens with me and y/n?” Rusty asked. “What if in the end my just not good for her?”

“well, you and y/n aren't me and Tess” Danny said matter of factly. “and falling down the 'I'm not good enough for her' hole is just pointless and suffocating”

Rusty went to open is mouth but Danny cut him off. “if you thought you weren't good enough you wouldn't have bought the damn ring” Rusty put his hands up in defense. “What if she says no?”

Danny snorted, that was the stupidest thing he's ever heard. “you both are glued to the hip... I think you'll be fine” Danny looked over at Rusty. “but if you do end up hurting her... I will kill you”

“I'm lucky I even got her, ya think I'm gonna screw that up?” Rusty smirked and shook his head. “no fucking way”

Rusty downed his drink. “you know what? Fuck it. I'm asking her tonight”

--------(1st pov)--------

“where are we going?” I asked as Rusty pulled me along the streets of Vegas. “you'll see” he smiled.

Rusty held my hand tight and pulled along untill we stop infront of the The Westgate Las Vegas Resort. He stoped infront of me and held both of my shoulders then looked up at the Westgate sign. “remember this place?”

I looked up at the building it was significant for a couple of reasons, one it's the place Elvis Presley preformed at for months, but also it was the place me and Rusty first met. “we met in this exact spot... Officially at least”

---(Flashback)---

Before they knew who each other were thay were just two people at a poker table. Y/n sat across from Rusty at the table, she was in red dress and a leather jacket. Covering her eyes was Elvis looking sunglasses so he couldn't see the thoughts in her eyes. She was cleaning everyone out except for rusty as the night went on each guy gave up with fire in their eyes and on a occasion sent a threat or two.

Rusty was impressed at how unbothrted she was. “rise you 400” she said. Even though there was no emotion in the way she said it, Rusty still thought it was the sweetest sound he ever heard.

“brave little thing, ain't ya?” Rusty smirked as he threw his poker chips in with hers. “brave, smart, whatever you want to call it” she responded.

“hmm...” Rusty smirked, he glanced at her then back down at his cards. A Royal flush was in his hands, he kept his poker face and waited with anticipation.

“straight flush” y/n smirked and set her cards down, she thought she had this in the bag. Rusty chuckled. “That's cute,” Rusty set his hand down, y/n's eyes bugged out and her heart dropped. “Royal Flush, I win Darlin'”

“Fuck” y/n groaned, her streek was broken and so was her bank. She rolled her eyes and threw about 1,000 dollars rolled up in a rubber band at Rusty. He smirked and put in his pocket, part of him felt bad for taking that much money from a lady.

“that was fun, you got skill” Rusty and y/n stood up at the same time and bumped into each other. His tall frame almost knocking her down. She grabed his waist out of instincted, not expecting to feel the sum of money she just lost. Rusty's hands fell to her hips to keep her steady. He could barely see her eyes behind the sunglasses and he wanted to see them so bad.

Y/n knew she had him distracted, she could tell just by looking into his eyes. Rusty smirked and looked down at her. “how about a drink? To make up for the poker losss”

Y/n chuckled sarcastically and shook her head. Rusty was enchanted by her, that laugh was the sweetest thing he's ever heard. He wanted to hear it again. Y/n smirked and slipped her hand into his jacket pocket with out him realizing it. “maybe next time” she smirked and walked past him, putting the money her leather jacket pocket.

As she left, Rusty stuck his hands in his pockets, his smile fell when he felt his pockets were now empty. “son of a bitch” he darted after.

He ran out of the poker room and saw her at the entrance of the Westgate. “hey!” he yelled after her, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a innocent smile and continued walking. Rusty ran after her, he moved around a bunch of people till eventually catching up with her at the entrance. Just as he grabed her shoulder he was on his back on the side walk outside of the building. He groaned as y/n walked past him, not giving up he quickly stood up and pushed her against the building.

“I think you have somthing of mine” Rusty said with a raised an eyebrow. Y/n rolled her eyes and kneed him in the crotch, not hard but enough to make him back away. She tried to make a run for it, but Rusty had her tackled to the ground. “I don't fight girls, but I will take what's mine”

Y/n quickly flipped them, she put her forearm into his neck, pinning him to the ground. “I can see why”

Rusty felt his skin heat up in frustration, he was about to push her off but he was scolded. “Rusty, what the hell?” it was Danny.

“Danny?” y/n looked suprised to her older brother. She pushed Rusty away, he let out an oof as she stood up.

“Danny?” Rusty groaned, standing up. Danny ignored rusty and turned to his sister. “What the hell are you doing? How many times do I have to tell you not to hastl poker games, to stay away from casinos”

Danny looked between Rusty and y/n, looking both confused and frustrated. “and why the hell are you two doing?”

“she started it” Rusty quickly said. Y/n rolled her eyes. “I lost 1000 to this jackass”

“a thousand?!” Danny did a double take, then to Rusty's suprise started scolding the girl. “see this is why you don't gamble, yes your good but you also don't know when to quit. Yeah you cleaned out the other idiots, but he comes along and you lose it all”

Y/n was about to say something, but Rusty cut her off. “wait a damn minute, how the hell do you two know each other”

“Rusty, this is my little sister Y/n... Y/n this is Rusty”

---(end Flashback)---

“we met here for the first time and even though you kicked my ass, I knew you were the one” he smirked. “and I don't care how fucking cheesy that sounds... I love you y/n Ocean”

His blue eyes stared into mine with nothing but love and admiration. He held her face in his hands and leaned down, kissing her softly then pulled away. “I love you too” I said softly.

“good because what I'm about to ask you is pretty big” his blue eyes stared into mine and he knelt to the ground with a red box in his hand. My heart pounded and I felt tears pricking my eyes. “Rusty...” I said softly, covering my mouth.

Rusty pulled the ring out. “What do ya say? Will you marry me?” I smiled big and immediately nodded. “Yes, you idiot. Of course I'll marry you”

Rusty eyes went wide, the biggest smile spreading across his face. Upon hearing my awnser, he nearly leapt up off the ground and practically tackled me with a tight hug, lifting me up into the air, and spinning me around in a circle.

He sat me down I slipped the ring on to my finger. “there, your stuck with me now” Rusty smirked.

“good” I smiled, I placed my hand on his jaw and kissed him lovingly. I had the man of my dreams and that's all that mattered.

[roomsofangel]

GROWING PAINS . . . # CHAPTER TEN !

synopsis you hated christmas. simple. this year was no different, the only thing changing was the scenery when you decide to let your older brother, yunho convince you to visit your grandmother who neither of you had met but hoped it would do some good. everything was still the same — writer’s block, the winter loneliness, the way yunho won’t stop singing jingle bell rock, yeah, everything was the same. at least, until a certain blonde haired boy made it his mission to melt your iced heart.

warnings none really!

wc 980

if you’d like to be added to the taglist please either send an ask in my inbox or leave a comment to be added to the taglist! reblogs and comments are also very appreciated! ^_^

a/n as this work goes on, the more it shows there’s multiple storylines! growing pains in a way is also growing out of the past, trauma, and healing and these guys are definitely going to be in for a bumpy ride they avoided for a long time.

“the winter festival is coming up,” you heard yunho mentioned while he stood in front of the kitchen sink beside you, towel drying the dishes you passed to him after soaping and scrubbing them clean enough and rinsing. you hummed in acknowledgment, nodding along while he continued, “you wanna go?”

and you could hear the hope in his voice, meeting the little glance he gave you from the corner of his eye as if he was ready to convince you. “uhh.. what day is it gonna be on?” you asked, trying to find an excuse but yunho shook his head. “we’re going, okay? please, i want us to enjoy christmas this time.” he set down the plate, along with the towel and exhaled, turning his head to look at you.

chewing on your bottom lip, you focused your attention and gaze on washing the plate you had. “i know you never liked it and i appreciate you trying recently but… i want us to do something big, i want pictures and smiles..” yunho continued, his voice soft as he spoke to you

you could feel your muscles tense, especially your shoulders while you absentmindedly scrubbed harder, unaware of the steam from the heated water that started to flow. and it seemed yunho didn’t either, still focused on having you hear him out, sighing. “ever since mom—“

your hands twitch at the mention, cutting him off with the sound of the glass plate shattering when you heard those words and the hot water jolting you, stumbling you back. “shit! yn—“ yunho gasped, quickly turning off the water and moving you our of the way as you stared for a moment, processing what happened

“get me a broom.” he told you and you didn’t say anything, only swallowing and nodding.

blinking a few times, you took a few more steps back in a stumble, bumping into the wall before you went down the hall to get the broom while you heard yunho’s soft little whispers of concern for you

yunho didn’t let you out of his sight the rest of the day, and you couldn’t blame him. the two of you sat on the couch, yunho attempting to beat another mario level while you scrolled through your phone before a knock on the front door was heard

head lifting, yunho paused his game, “who could that be? did grandma say she was expecting anyone?” he asked you and you shrugged, “i don’t know.”

exhaling a breath, yunho pushed himself off the couch, “just a second!” he called out, going to open the door where he saw yeosang on the other side when he opened it.

“oh! yeosang, hey!” he greeted with a bright smile, yeosang nodding first in acknowledgment with a little bow, “hi yunho, is yn home?”

yunho raised a brow for second, tilting his head and glancing to meet your gaze from on the couch then back to yeosang, “yeah! we were just sitting around, come in.” he ushered the brunette inside who accepted the invitation and fixed the beanie on his head, stepping in where he met your curious gaze

“hi yeosang,” you mumbled softly to greet him and his lips curled up a little to form a small smile, “hi yn.”

then he turned to yunho, “is it okay if i steal her for an hour or two?”

you were surprised, no one has asked you to hang out before without yunho — much less ask yunho himself, and you could see yunho was also holding the same feeling with his round eyes and head tilt. “oh! uh.. yeah, what are you guys gonna do?” yunho asked

and yeosang turned to you to answer this, “what do you wanna do? my treat.”

you were speechless for a moment, mouth slightly open as if you wanted to say something but no words followed suit, “i..” you wanted to melt into the couch, stomach in knots. “i’m okay with anything.”

when you got into yeosang’s car, the smell of vanilla engulfed you along with the pinch of smoke, you wondered if yeosang smoked. he didn’t seem like the type to do so in your opinion, but what did you know? you got comfortable in the passengers seat, glancing at his backseat that had a backpack and a few other little things scattered but it wasn’t too messy, if anything even that seemed to be… organized in a way

yeosang cleared his throat, “i’m sorry if i took you by surprise.” he spoke, his car keys in the ignition as he started the car. “i didn’t get to talk to you much last night.” he mumbled while he turned on the radio, turning the volume up slightly before pulling out of your driveway

and it was true, when san had arrived last night, most of your attention unintentionally shifted and focused onto him. it wasn’t on purpose, you tried to defend in your head. but this was your first time having friends that were only your friends, were you doing something wrong? “i’m sorry, yeosang, i must have got lost in everything.” you whispered while glancing down at your lap where your hands resided, your fingers toying with your bracelets

“no, it’s not your fault.” he was quick to reassure, shaking his head as he kept his attention on the road. after a minute of silence, he spoke again, “how do you know san?”

brows furrowing, you pressed your lips together in thought. “i met him at the store, but he stays across the street.” you told him, nodding after, “he’s really sweet! i think you two would get along.” you smiled

“yeah, i’m sure.” yeosang replied, wetting his lips as he continued looking at the road, your gaze focusing more on the window to look outside

and not on the way his hands gripped the wheel and his jaw clenched

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taglist (open) @myonlyloveseungmin @itsvxlentine @rockstarsanie @brown88 @barbielibra @vixensss @satsuri3su @yessa-vie @yoichiislovie

[sstan-hoe]

◇ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 ◇

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — pre-outbreak!joel miller × fem!reader

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — you love joel, but god he can't cook. Meaning it's time that he learns a thing or two! However having a daughter who finds it quite amusing could make things difficult.

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 — this is just pure fluff honestly, Joel trying to cook – he's pretty but damn he needs practice, this fanfiction is not 18+ anyone can interact with it! (the series is 16+ but there is nothing mentioned here however I don't advice it to anyone whose scared easily), reader has no specific race or anything just that she's from Germany and her great grandma made Quark Balls (Quarkkäulchen)

𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 — my first joel fic!!! I'm sooo excited and I have more planned, do you want more? reblog/comment and follow!!! let's see where Joel takes us on my blog :)

Coming home at same time as Joel was something that happened every fifth full moon, he always came home late while Sarah and you were home before five in the evening. Add to that, Joel more often than not broke his promise on coming home on time.

Now imagine your surprised expression as you walked into the house and saw Joel standing in the kitchen. Sarah sat at the table giggling to herself, watching her father who apparently tried to cook?

You sneaked up on him, Sarah already noticing you and trying to keep quiet. Peaking around Joel you wondered what he was doing, your man was peeling potatoes with a knife and almost cutting himself.

“Okay, enough of this torture,” you chuckled. Joel’s eyes widened the moment he heard your voice behind him. Quickly he turned around to face you with an akward smile.

“What exactly are you doing…,” you added and took the knife and potato gently from his hands. “Cooking, darlin’,” he trailed off which had you grinning, “I can see that, however I’m a bit concerned about your fingers,” you mused inspecting his fingers for any injuries.

His attempt on peeling potatoes was rather cute, but what was he trying to cook? “And what are you trying to cook?” snaking your arms around his waist to rest your chin on his chest.

“The Quark Balls your great grandma used to make, the ones you talk about doing all the time,” Joel leaned down to press his lips to yours as your heart began beating fast. You couldn’t wish for a better man.

“Where did you get the recipe?” you asked stunned, the book which held the recipe was with your grandma back in Germany.

Sarah stood up and came to your side with a proud smile, “she send it over, it took a little bit but today it came in the mail, and I went to the store to buy everything!” she told you excited, jumping up a little which was adorable. You hugged her to your side, “thank you,” you whispered kissing her forehead.

Your eyes found Joel’s and you couldn’t help but giggle, “let’s make those Quark Balls.” He released a protesting sound, “no, we, Sarah and I will make them, and you will sit here and look pretty.” His hands gently pushed you towards the table.

Shaking your hand, you took his from your waist, “I love you, but you just can’t cook,” you didn’t want to sound mean, but it was the truth.

Joel looked at you playfully offended, “you dare to say I can’t cook?” Pursing your lips together, “well…yeah,” “I thought you loved me!” You released a wholehearted laugh in which Sarah joined, “she’s right dad,” now his eyes were on his daughter who laughed uncontrollably by now.

“You’re my daughter, you’re supposed to be on my side!” Joel shook his head at his daughter and fixed his gaze on you.

“Oh, stop whining and let’s get this done,” you nudged his shoulders and got the potato peeler from the drawer, “this, is a tool which makes peeling potatoes easier,” you held up the peeler to your man’s face.

Giving Joel the peeler while you read over the recipe, Sarah went back to her previous seat to observe the both of you.

You grabbed a Tupperware bowl especially made for the microwave to make the potatoes cook faster. Suddenly you heard a noise from Joel, the man had cut himself.

“Oh, my love,” you spoke and turned around to him, trying to hold back a chuckle. The cut wasn’t deep, but it did bleed a little bit and given its place it would be an uncomfortable pain. “I’ll get a plaster,” Sarah stood up with a teasing smile, when she came back, she held a Winnie The Pooh themed bandage. “Really?” Joel asked with a pointed look at his daughter.

“Was the only one left,” she shrugged, but the smirk she hid from him told you that it was infect not the only one left. You put the plaster around Joel’s cut and kissed it before moving him back to peel the potatoes.

Lastly you got a grater along with a bowl from the cupboard and set them up for later. Joel was finished and looked at you for further instructions, “now we cook them,” a big question mark formed above his head at your words.

A chuckle escaped your lips, “what did you do before you met me?” you shook your head and put the potatoes into the Tupperware bowl and filled it with water until they were covered. “I got baby food and dad ate everything that was ready in five minutes,” Sarah enlightened you, earning a small glare from her father.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” you joked nudging your hips against his, “okay, enough bullying me,” Joel told you in a stern voice that left no room for argument. You put the potatoes into the bowl and placed it in the microwave setting the timer at fifteen minutes.

“Sarah, have you done your homework yet?” you asked causing her to grimace and you already knew the answer, “then off you go.” She gave you a playful annoyed smile and went to her room, however you knew it wouldn’t take long until she was finished.

As soon as Sarah was upstairs Joel had you pressed against his chest and chin on your shoulder, “I’m not a bad cook,” he mumbled against your clothed skin.

You lifted your hand up to caress his stubbled cheek, “mhm, no you’re not,” you agreed turning around to wrap your arms around his neck. There was a hint of mock in your voice which Joel caught on and started tickling you, “no, no, no, Joel!” you squeaked.

He stopped tickling you and draw circles over your skin as he began pouting, “how can you be so mean to me? I’ve been nothing but good to you.”

You shook your head, suddenly a weird noise from the microwave got your attention. Furrowing your brows, you walked to the microwave and opened it, waves of water greeting you. Sighing you stopped the timer, noticing the missing lid, “Joel….” “Yes, my love, light of my life?” he asked with an akward smile.

“Did you forget to put the lid…on the bowl? You know water boils and might swap over,” you lectured him. Joel sighed, “yes, I did and yes, I know,” embarrassment spreading in him.

“Thank god you’re pretty,” you muttered and fixed his mistake. You weren’t mad at him, maybe a little bit as it was a silly mistake, but it can happen. Besides Joel never used the bowl before, this could be a part of the reason.

The timer still had ten minutes left so you took Joel and sat him at the table, “stay here and when I need my strong, pretty man I will call you,” you gave him a loving kiss on his lips.

Joel felt bad, he wanted to surprise you, but his lack of cooking skills made it hard. While he loved your cooking, he hated how you always had to cook for him while he sat there and did nothing. Of course, you told him it was okay however that didn’t ease the feeling.

After the timer was up you moved to get a bigger bowl to add the quark later, now you could use Joel. You didn’t want him to feel helpless.

Taking his hand, you positioned him in front of and gave him a grater, “rub the potatoes into the bigger bowl, careful hot. Then I will add the quark you can mix, sound good?” squeezing his hand.

“Sound’s good, darlin’,” he agreed and did as he was told, the task was a bit difficult given the state of the potatoes, but he mastered it. When he was done you added the quark, sugar and salt to the mix, as asked Joel mashed it together.

“Now we have a dough!” you exclaimed excitingly and clapped your hands. Just then Sarah was back and already eyed the finished mixture, with a knowing smile you grabbed her a spoon to make a taste test.

“More sugar,” she stated, handed you the spoon. You tried too and nodded, “agreed,” grabbing the sugar you added two more spoons.

Joel mixed again and Sarah gave you a thumbs up, “good now lets heat the pan,” it was time to bake the Quark Balls, “did you know that even tho it’s balls, they’re not balls? You take a little dough on a spoon and put it in the pan, then press it down so its max one centimetres thick. Meaning it’s actually Quark Flats,” you gave them a little lesson on the translation from German to English.

Frying them in the pan from both sides with a lot of butter to have  golden brown. The first few were a bit too dark which was why you flattened them a little more and used less heat.

Sarah snatched the first one and groaned from the taste, “these are delicious,” she praised. You chuckled happily, “thank you,” holding one up to Joel who eagerly took it. He had the same reaction as his daughter, “darlin’ these are amazing,” he pressed as kiss to your cheek after slowing the last bit.

“I’m very happy you like them, I think Omi would be proud,” you told them with a smile, heart warming at the thought of your great grandma. She always made the best Quark Balls, better than anyone or anything.

“I think we should cook more often together,” Sarah said as she hugged your side, a laugh escaping you, “you didn’t do anything, little troublemaker.” “I was moral support!” she argued playfully.

𝑱𝑶𝑬𝑳 𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹 — @jobean12-blog

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 |I do have a taglist however it has conditions that must be followed — you can follow @sstanhoe-updates for updated without anything

[jungle-angel]

Family Ties Are Stronger Than Time (Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: You're supposed to beon bedrest for a bit after just having had the boys so Rhett decides to take Amy with him to visit an old friend and learns something about a family member that shocks him

Notes: A very, very Happy Hannukah to all who celebrate, I feel bad I haven't done much but this has been sitting in the back of my brain for a while. I hope it came out well enough, I was nervous writing it but I'm hoping it came out well enough 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Warnings: Mentions of war, birth etc.

"Alright sweetheart," Rhett said to Amy. "You ready?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed excitedly.

She hopped down the steps of the general store you both owned with Rhett helping her down onto the snowy sidewalk and into the truck where he buckled her into her carseat. He placed the blue and gold box full of baked goods next to her, hoping that they wouldn't spill over on the ride out of town. He and Cecelia had painstakingly made them for three days, hoping that they turned out alright.

Down the roads they went, out of downtown and back to the more rural areas in town where ranches became a more common sight than buildings. They passed by the Waldorf school where Amy and Hannah both attended kindergarten and preschool respectively, the grounds now covered with snow and the farm across the street with it. Rhett had to laugh a little as he had lost count of how many times he had gone to the farm across from the school to help fix a tractor or help the farmers with their cows.

Finally, they came to a lonely little stretch of ranch, the old farmhouse sitting on top of a little hill with stretch after stretch of fence surrounding it. He pulled up to the garage and parked the truck, letting Amy out and taking the box with him.

"Go ahead Doodlebug," Rhett told her. "Go ring the doorbell."

Amy rang the little bell next to the door and in a split second it was opened by an elderly woman with white hair, her eyes lighting up when she saw Rhett and Amy.

"My sweet I didn't think you were coming!" she exclaimed happily.

"What, Sara? Ya'll thought we were gonna ignore ya'll?" Rhett chuckled.

"You.....you, you get in here, come, come in," Sara beckoned.

Rhett and Amy both went into the house and removed their coats and shoes. "Elie around at all?" Rhett asked.

"No, no, he went to go help Officer Joy or something," Sara told him. "Here, I'll fix you both something."

Rhett loved coming down to visit Sara. Ever since he was a little kid, he loved the way the elderly Polish woman made him feel welcome in her home and had even taught him a little bit of her language. Sara and Elie Abramowicz were as close with the Abbotts as the Duttons were, more like family than friends.

"Where is (y/n)?" Sara asked.

"She's all holed up in bed," Rhett chuckled. "Boys were born two days ago."

"Ah and on the first night of Hannukah no less," Sara said with pride.

"Oh, speaking of which," Rhett said, seating himself on the old, rickety barstool at the kitchen counter. "Made these a few days ago."

He gave Sara the box and when she opened it, her face lit up. "You didn't!" she exclaimed.

Rhett laughed before he and Sara hugged. "Didn't burn the kitchen down makin'em either," he laughed.

"Oh Rhett," Sara sighed. "You know I haven't been able to make sufganiyot since Mama passed away. Thank you. As if Elie and I didn't owe your family enough already."

"Sara what the hell are ya'll even talkin about?" Rhett asked her. "You don't owe us nothin."

"Oh but we do," Sara insisted. "And it all goes back to your Oma."

"My grandma?" Rhett asked.

Sara nodded.

"Wh.....what'd Oma Heidi have to do with anything?"

Sara scrunched her deeply wrinkled brow. "You mean to tell me that your Papa never told you?" she asked him.

Rhett shook his head.

"Here," Sara said, putting the box of fresh sufganiyot next to the toaster. "You stay and I tell you."

Rhett stayed put, keeping a careful watch on Amy who was in the living room playing with Elie and Sara's boarhound, Boris. He waited for Sara to finish making a mug full of heady black tea before she seated herself across from him.

"You know that Elie and I used to live in Warsaw?"

Rhett nodded.

"I remember a long, long time ago after the invasion," Sara began. "We were trapped in our city like animals, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Elie and I, we were so young, fifteen and seventeen years old and in terrible danger. Every night we all prayed for a miracle."

Rhett could almost see it before his very eyes and the terrible scene that played out in his mind like a movie.

"Your Oma had come to us with a group of people who claimed they could help," Sara continued. "French and German resisters who were bent on getting people out of the hands of the Nazis. We didn't trust them at first, but quickly we realized we had no choice. "Six hundred of us fled from Warsaw in 1943," Sara explained. "Six hundred. We went on foot, by rail and by truck, all the way to a safe place where we hid."

The more Rhett listened to the story, the more the shock ran through his very core. Royal had never said anything about his mother or about what she had done before leaving Switzerland.

"You see Rhett," Sara said. "It is because of your Oma that we and so many others lived. That is why Elie and I remain close with your family. After we came to America, your Oma and I remained very close friends, so much so that she came to fetch me the night you were born. I made a promise to your Oma that I would watch over you when she passed Rhett.....and Elie and I intend to keep that promise."

Rhett could feel his eyes burning. He had never known. "Why didn't Dad say anything if he knew?" Rhett asked her.

"Do not blame your father Rhett," Sara answered. "That was your Oma's wish. Your father knew how much pain she had gone through for others and didn't wish to inflict that pain on anyone else."

He felt a few loose tears falling from his eyes when he heard Sara's story. "Wish she was still here," he croaked.

"Ah but she is," Sara assured him. "I know she is Rhett."

It took him a while to process the story he had just heard, but after a while, Rhett felt an immense sense of pride, knowing how strong his ties were to the people who were like family to him.

Rhett heard a truck pulling up a little while later when who should appear but you and Royal with Hannah, each of you carrying a little carseat that safely held Tatum and Tanner, your twins.

"Hey Sara," Royal called as he entered. "We come bearing a Hannukah gift for you and Elie."

"Royal Abbott, you march into my house while your son is here...."

Royal laughed, unable to make out the rest of what she had been saying.

You and Sara talked a good long while while Rhett talked things over with Royal. Surprisingly enough, Royal was more than understanding about the whole thing.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell ya'll sooner son," Royal said. "I saw how much pain it had caused Oma.......I didn't want any of that pain passed onto you guys."

Rhett tried hard to hold back the tears in front of his father but he couldn't. Royal pulled him in and held his son when he saw that look in Rhett's eyes.

When all was said and done and everything had settled, you and Rhett gathered in the living room with Sara and Elie when he had returned, the two of them absolutely head over heels for your boys. Cecelia had joined you a little while later along with the rest of Sara and Elie's family. The grandkids all taught Amy and Hannah how to play dreidel and the delighted shrieks and shouts that came from the living room had you and Rhett in the best of moods.

"Think they'll sleep ok tonight?" you asked.

"No doubt darlin," Rhett chuckled. "Just wait till Christmas Eve."

You half laughed and half groaned at the thought, knowing Amy and her Dutton cousins would all be up till some ungodly hour, having eaten all the candy in their stockings. You and Rhett shared a sweet kiss as you watched the kids. Rhett looked out the living room window and saw that one of the stars was shining a little brighter that night, mouthing a silent "thank you" to his Oma Heidi, who he was sure, was watching over you all.

[helenofsimblr]

Lyra: Yeah, thousands of dollars went up my nose, and all my dignity was sold to pay for it. Well Cedric, that ship has sailed and sunk. That is not who I am now, and I never will be that again. You led me down a two year path of alcoholism, drug addiction, and depravity, one that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. But my family certainly won’t have to shoulder that burden, because you’re going to drop this, and leave me the fuck alone. So give me the tape of us and I’ll be on my way. 

Cedric: Like fuck that will happen…

Dream: Oh Cedric, you have no idea what’s coming. You dream of things that would never occur because of your lifestyle. You aren’t worthy of this child she’s carrying, you only dream of it. You are nothing and worth less than that. If only you could see through bodies, you might have taken care of the words you use.

****

Lyra: You seem to be labouring under false supposition that we are negotiating... we are not! I want you out of the picture Cedric, leave me and my family alone and never come back, I also want your dirty sex tape of me. 

Cedric: Ahh! Fuck! Just hang on a minute, you can’t do this… You can’t come in here and threaten me like this!

Lyra: I can’t?! I must have missed the fucking memo on that one, get your dirty ass up on your feet now you piece of shit! COME ON!! Stand the fuck up or I’ll blow your fucking head off. 

****

Lyra: You’re getting on my nerves, Cedric. That’s not a good thing to do… Especially after I got my life back together. I have my sons, I have my daughter, I’m about to be a grandma, and I’ve got another daughter now. I didn’t have her, but she’s mine now, she’s MINE, and she called me mom the other day… that made me very happy, Cedric.  VERY happy! I’ve got a new baby to love and cherish, I love my husband, sons and daughters so very very much… And you, you think you’re going to come into my life and shake things up do you?

Dream: Nightmares made living, Lyra. You are now that which you despise most. You’ve dreamt of this moment for weeks now, what will you do?!

Lyra:  Oh fuck all you will. No Cedric, that isn’t going to happen. So I will explain the situation to you, clearly, one last time. My baby is nothing to you. You are not his father, Bob is. And if you go near Bob, if you talk to anyone, if you speak of our affair… if you mention the drugs, if you mention the video, the threesome, if you mention a godsdamn thing about any of it…if you breathe about it…  I WILL fucking kill you. I will blow your coke-addled filthy homosexual head off!!

Cedric: You wouldn’t…

[landojpg04]

Revenge on the Ranch II//G.Tillman

Index

Go read part one if you haven't already!

Synopsis: Rumor and Gator reunite.

Warnings: R*y Tillman, slight mention of how R*y treats his wives, language.

I woke up to the sound of pans clinging. I rolled over to see eleven am on the clock. I haven't slept in this late since my freshman year of college. My body feels rested. I feel rested. I walk into the bathroom to at least get ready if I’m making my appearance late.

But as soon as I was done, I walked downstairs. Momma and Dad were making their famous BLT sandwiches.

“Oh, look who decided to join us today,” Pops says as he sees me.

“Told you she needed to get food in her. We practically put her into a coma last night.” Momma said. I just chuckled at her antics. I looked around, seeing that it was eerily calm. 

“Where's the boys?” I said.

“Rhett is already doing his prep for tonight. Jane and Robert went to her doctor's appointment and took Rylee with them,” Momma said. I nodded as Pops handed me a plate of food.

“I bet the city doesn't have good BLTs like these.” He said, I took a bite and was sent to heaven. The city doesn’t have a lot. 

I spent a few hours just sitting with my parents. There was not much talking; they were just taking in one another.

Jane and Robert came back with Rylee. Momma is making Rylee, and I eat a plate of fruit and vegetables. 

It wasn't until two hours later that I noticed Momma getting visibly worried. She’s always like this when Rhett has a competition. She begins to pray, sweat, and at times send herself into an anxiety attack. Robert jokes that the entire process is Rhett’s good luck charm. If Momma isn't visibly upset, he won’t win. 

Rylee wanted to get ready with me, which I could not deny. I helped her pick out an outfit. Braided her hair and added bows.

“Sometimes she is a spitting image of you,” Jane says at the doorway.

“Begging to dress up, always speaking what's on her mind, and not afraid to get her hands dirty.”

“Runs in the blood,” I say, smiling as Rylee tries to get her boots on.

“Rylee, go help grandma and grandpa with the car.” 

Jane closes the door as Rylee runs downstairs.

“Your turn,” Jane says, walking up to me. She sits me down at the vanity and plugs in the curling iron. One thing Jane loves doing is hair, so this is like therapy for both of us. I talked to her about everything. Missing home, especially missing Gator. She tells me he comes by often to check in with my parents, her, and Robert. 

Gator would never verbally say he felt more at home under the Abbott roof. With the past of Linda, Nadine, and now Karen, Reese was the only mother figure who was a constant in his life. He saw how his father treated his wives and vowed to Reese that he would never do that, even if he didn't marry me. 

Jane and I continue to talk; I tell her about work and some of the cases I’ve helped on. I also complain about Vincent from the coffee shop.

She jokes, “Gator would kill him if you asked.” But deep down, I know Gator would do anything if I said I was uncomfortable with someone. 

Jane finished up my hair and helped with my outfit, and we were on our way to the grounds. 

٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭٭

“You’re never round here anymore, Rumor,” Peter said to me. He was in the competition and grabbed me as I was looking for Gator.

“Yeah, well, I did move the day after graduation.” I was annoyed with Peter’s antics.

“Well, is there anything that could make you move back? Maybe someone?” He said, moving closer to me; I noticed he was trying to move his hat to fit onto my head sneakily. I begin to laugh at his foolish antics.

“You put that hat on her, Collins I swear I will break every single bone in that arm of yours.”

Right on time. 

I turn around to see the carrier of that voice. Still in full uniform, standing well over six feet. He has one hand on his belt while the other holds the top of his vest as he stalks over. Peter audibly gulps, standing in front of me.

“Move. Your pony ride is coming up.” He growls out as he is now standing next to me. Peter nods and frantically turns to walk away.

“What the hell am I gonna do with you? Not even a full twenty-four hours back home, and these assholes are already on the prowl for you,” I just shrug at his comment. I turn my body towards him. I wanted to take him in. 

His hair is slicked back, but I can tell it's longer. He smells like cologne and nicotine. I know he didn't grow, but with his work boots on, I feel as if I’m straining my neck a bit more to meet his eyes. He looks good. He notices me taking him in; he grows red in the cheeks and lets a small smile pass through.

“You look good,” I say.

“I look good because I knew my girl was back in town. Should've seen me yesterday; I was a mess.”

It was his turn to take me in. His eyes travel down and back up.

“Your hair got longer since I last saw you.”

He grabs my arm. I can feel what he is gonna say next.

“Did your Reese yell at you for not eating enough down there?”

“She's been feeding me as much as Rylee the entire day.”

He laughs. “You look good, Rue, “ he begins to move closer; I close my eyes and feel him ghost over my lips “You look good.” 

He finally pressed his lips onto mine. His lips were cold; they’d always been cold. I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him in closer. 

Fuck did I miss this. 

He grabbed the loops of my jeans to pull me closer than I was before. I gasped at the maneuver and Gator took this to slide his tongue into my mouth. I could tell he was hungry through the way he kissed me. I can't blame him, though. 

For once in what felt like a lifetime, the world was quiet. There were no fears circulating in my mind. 

“Jesus, would you two knock it off! She didn't go off to war Gator!” 

And there it was, the one thing I wish would blow away in the breeze. Roy Tillman. Gator and I broke away from each other. I looked towards the voice. God, did he look worse with age.  

“Nice to see you too, Roy,” I said.

Roy never liked me from the moment I was born. Said I was a mistake my mother made. My father and he were good friends, almost like brothers growing up, but now the bond was too big to break. My father never shared the same values as Roy, but he knows that the thoughts and ideas Roy thinks are just a representation of generational trauma. 

Growing up, Roy always tried to tell my parents that my mouth was gonna get me in trouble. He hated that I was outspoken, especially towards men. 

One day, he talked about how he respected the army, navy, and peace officers, especially Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. I then spoke about how I also wanted to work for the FBI. Roy laughed at me for over an hour straight. The next day he woke up with all of his tires slashed. Still today they are looking for that culprit. 

“Heard you’re back for a few weeks. Quantico, realize you don’t fit the job description anymore?”

“Dad, come on, leave her–” Gator began to but in, but I never miss a chance to tell Roy to fuck off.

“No, Roy, they sent me up here. Said to start an investigation about a crooked Sherrif in a small town.” I said with a stern face. Roy went white for a minute, like the statement I was saying had truth behind it, but then he realized I was just doing his favorite thing, running my mouth.

He laughed and then grabbed a cigarette from his pocket, lighting up.

“You think you're funny, Rumor. You think you're funny.” He said, sauntering off towards the bleachers. 

Gator let out a laugh the second Roy was far enough to where he couldn't hear.

“I don’t think he’ll show up to our wedding.” 

“I think he’ll put me on America’s most wanted the day he finds out you're not a virgin,” I said, backfiring at his comment.

Gator just wrapped me in his arms, placing his lips on my head.

“How long do I have you for?”

“Rhett or Robbie are gonna drive me back next Thursday.”

“I can drive you back,” Gator said. I just nodded into his chest, not wanting to break our contact. Gator was my security blanket up here.

“I miss you, G,” I said into his chest.

I felt him squeeze me even tighter in his grasp. 

“You have no idea, Rue,” He said. I looked up to meet his eyes again. I could stare at him for hours. He had soft eyes that went dark, but right now, they were gleaming. He leaned in once again, meeting my lips—a short and sweet kiss. 

“Come on, let's go watch Rhett,” I said, unraveling myself from his embrace, but Gator didn't let me stray too far as he placed one of his hands in my pocket, something he had been doing since we got together.

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Author's note: Hope you guys enjoy the reunion, next part will be a bit steamy 😉

Lmk if yu guys enjoy or want to see anything in this series!!

[destinygoldenstar]

☀️The Brunch Of Trauma☀️ - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 1 Episode 5 “Baking My Heart”

...last time on Disventure Camp I screwed over Nick and caused his elimination because I put him in the heading.

DON'T WORRY, I'M NOT CAUSING JAKE'S ELIMINATION THIS EPISODE. (I hope)

I'm pretty certain it's not him this episode. He's not a target for anybody, at least for now. That and I think it's gonna be Lilly this episode, so...

Yeah. I'm playing my heading card smart this time. King deserves it from last episode.

...oh god what if I DID cause his elimination?

"Goddammit Golden! Why'd you put me in the heading, huh?!"

Alright, let us continue with our journey!

OMG THE PHONE! I FORGOT

PLEEEAAASSEE tell me they take advantage of this!

ALSO, not even a second into the episode and I already caught the fruity boy staring at a certain someone.

YES THEY'RE CALLING! I'm excited!

"Dad! It's me! How are you?"

"Fine, I guess... what do you want?"

Oh he does not sound thrilled.

"Are you taking care of my plants? How are my cats my little birds my fireflies my spiders my iguanas my fish and my crabs?"

GEEZ THAT'S A LOT

I mean I'm not surprised Gabby has a whole zoo at her house. Sounds in character.

Girl has more pets than my own partner.

"Yes... everything you just said is fine... no need to rush home."

Okay, so Gabby having a neglectful family that is annoyed by her existence is canon.

"Do you want to meet my new friends?"

"I have to go attend some business. Bye."

YOU DON'T DESERVE GABBY SIR

Girlie, here you go

"Hi Gretchen! How's it going out there?"

Gretchen? I mean I guess it makes sense she has a nickname, but I just liked saying Grett.

"Did you know that your brother won the football championship? I'm so proud of him sweetie!"

"Guess what's happening today? Your brother's getting a certificate of honor for his high grades in university."

"What does that matter?!"

"I'm just so happy that someone in this family is actually successful!"

OH MY GOD.

I'm actually hurt for Grett.

I would say "Yes, Grett characterization, let's go queen!" But my gosh I feel so bad for her.

I'm so happy we actually get a motive for her now. I knew I could stan her!

'Grett: Overthrow family disappointment'

Add that to the list of motives I made in Episode 4.

"You making a call Tom?"

"Oh... I don't think so, my family isn't home."

Tom... do you have a family? Cause it sounds like you don't.

And that's really sad to hear.

"Is mom home?"

"Oh, they're not here, they went shopping."

WHAT ARE ALL THESE PHONE CALLS?!

Why does everyone have such neglectful families?!

"I'm just... I'm fed up."

Aw, Grett...

"From what?"

"My mom can't go a single day without mentioning my stupid brother!"

"Well, you're not the only one who feels left out in your family..."

Bonding?

I'm loving this scene.

"SHUT UP! You and I are nothing alike! Don't call me friend. We are not friends, and we never will be!"

"Okay, calm down!"

"Just leave me alone!"

Ouch... I do see Grett's POV though. Yeah she's awful, but I guess in her mind she's so inferior to her sibling that she feels the need to be dirty with her tactics.

"We should've listened to Will."

YA THINK?!

If Lilly really is the one gone this episode, you're all alone Ashley. You gotta step up for them!

"Don't give up Lill! It's not over till the rooster crows!"

I like her, she's such an optomist.

"Do you want to go first?"

"I have no one to call."

...what?

No one?

You don't have a spouse? Kids? Grandkids? No one?

"Quit being a nosy brat!"

Lady, he was being a gentlemen and offering you to go first!

Where you pulling this 'brat' shit from?

"Fine, I'll go!"

And right after I say that he gives attitude.

Go call your grandma Jake. Tell her how you love her and you're gonna help her with the money.

Maybe this one will be a bit wholesome.

"Hey Shawn!"

"Hey... Jake..."

...

What...?

"What's up? Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry..."

*I covered my mouth to hold back a gasp*

"A couple of days ago... grandma passed away..."

OH MY GOD NOOOOOOO

*I'm actually upset for him*

Oh my god...

OH MY GOD HE'S CRYING. OH MY GOD.

"Mom told me not to tell you till you came back... but I had to..."

He's still going. Oh my god...

"You're lying..."

"She was conscious for a few hours before she got worse..."

JUST STOP. JUST STOP TALKING.

"She wrote a letter... I'll give it to you when you get back... I'm sorry man..."

JAKE, I'M SO SORRY. THAT'S AWFUL!!

I'm actually hurt as well!

AND THEN TOM COMFORTS HIM?!??! AWWWWW 😢

I thought he was here to help her! I didn't think she was gonna die before he can even get back! That's horrible!

YOU ALL BETTER GIVE HIM VIRTUAL HUGS.

FOR HIM AND FOR HIS GRANDMA.

Okay, okay, I'm calming down, I'm calming down...

GOD. DAMN. IT. ME.

I SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT JAKE IN THE HEADING!

I KILLED HIS GRANDMA!!

I'M SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!

Jake, if you hate me for this, I understand. I deserve it.

"Why won't you take the slay pass?!"

"Because slaying killed my grandma, okay?!"

(I'm sorry)

"Teal Team I hope you enjoyed your call home!"

BRUH. NO. DON'T EVEN.

"We made sure the ingredients are... what's the word... DISGUSTING."

Knew it.

I'm calling this reaction the Brunch of Trauma. As a callback to Total Drama's 'The Brunch Of Disgustingness'

"How are we supposed to get chicken guts?"

By killing a chicken. Duh.

"I can't eat cockroaches! They have feelings!"

No they don't Gabby. No they don't.

"I don't think Jake's in the mood to run around looking for ingredients."

Thank you Tom. Thank you for being so supportive of him and understanding his situation.

"Does anyone know how to cook?"

No.

"Do I have to?!"

"Do you want to win?"

"Fine."

Why is Fiore so grumpy all of a sudden?

"The winning team will send a representative from their team to tonight's elimination ceremony! Where they will get the sole vote to pick an extra person from the losing team."

It was the slay pass I gave Jake that he threw away.

Who wants it? It was sent by me.

"The team that attends the elimination will lose TWO people tonight!"

OH SHIT.

...it's gotta be Teal that loses then, right? Purple's already down a member, and that'll make numbers REALLY uneven.

Oh god did I cause Jake's elimination by putting him in the heading?!

Look, Purple, if you get this marker, even if your name is Fiore, you leave Gabby Grett and Jake out of this. You have my permission to use this marker, but ONLY to use it on Dan.

Dan's the only one on that team I wouldn't really care gets sent home.

Dan and I guess Miriam. I'm sorry Miriam.

Cause there's no way they're gonna make Purple lose here and make the team HALF the size of the other. Right? There's no way.

"Ever since I heard from home this morning, I've been wondering if there's even a point in being here. Should I leave?"

I feel so bad for Jake.

What did this precious bean do to you writers?! Why'd you have to break his heart like this?!

But yeah, what even is his motive now? It's down the drain now that she's gone.

"Jake, are you okay?"

Oh, so now you care.

"Since when do you care?"

And he said the same thing I said.

"You're always telling me to shut up and leave."

Facts.

"You don't need to pity me."

"I know it's hard, but remember that she'll always be in your heart and in your memories. We can always honor our loves ones by keeping their legacy alive. By lovingly remembering them."

...guys, I didn't start watching this show to cry. I'm gonna be honest.

"I'm saying this because I've been there before."

Oh?

*cuts away*

GOSH DARN IT NO I WANTED TO HEAR THAT! COME ON!

"'The hillbilly girl and wrinkles have no idea what I did' I can't believe it. She's been plotting against us this whole time."

I'm not surprised.

"How could a little girl do this?"

Demon child. CLEAR upbringing issues.

"We have to tell Ellie and Alec!"

"Are they going to believe us?"

They already do!

Though, you can probably get through to Ellie. I can hear her screaming on the inside about her being roped into a villain alliance.

"Do you even cook for your family?"

"Not recently to tell you the truth. Hard to make meals when we're going through a rough patch right now."

You're broke?

The Bucket family?

"I haven't told anyone about this..."

"You can talk to me."

Please talk. We're already eating up a lot of trauma for dinner tonight.

"A couple of years ago, on my husband's birthday, I wanted to surprise him with a cheesecake..."

Oh no from the other episode... I know where this is going.

He died from the cake, didn't he?

"So I told my son to take him to the mall, maybe buy his dad a gift while I baked... but when I had the desert ready, I called them to come back but they never did."

They both died?!

"Apparently a drunk driver hit their car... a head collision... no survivors."

Shit... that's awful.

Why is there so much trauma in this episode?!

"It took me to a dark place for a long time, those two were the only ones I had..."

"I'm so sorry, Miriam."

"It's never easy to lose someone you love. When I heard what happened to your grandmother, it all came flooding back..."

YES. HUG. PLEASE.

PLEEEAASSE WE NEED SOMETHING COMFORTING IN THE MIDST OF THIS HEARTBEAK

Okay how many virtual hugs can we get by the end of this episode?

Is Miriam gonna be nicer to Jake from here on out? I hope so.

"Don't worry. Everything is under control."

I am so bloody confused by these hosts plotline, I'm gonna be honest.

What are you talking about?

I know Tom stole the dude's ID, but why? Is he a criminal?

"Let's say... they didn't send the smartest spy they had."

Oh they ARE talking about Tom.

So Tom does know stuff and he's sus as shit.

So he's not a ninja... I was thinking it would be spy too.

So he's not on the show to win. He's here to stop... whatever these guys are doing.

Also YEAH, they DIDN'T send the smartest spy.

Cause hum diddly hum, I wonder which one among the cast is the impostor? Maybe it's the one guy who never shows his face.

ALSO, he SAW Tom running.

"He didn't see me! I was wearing black! And I was out in the night! I was practically Batman!"

"Yeah but you stick out like a sore thumb during the day and in the sun."

"BUT IT'S THE SUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN"

"Jake thinks it was Dan and Dan thinks it was Jake."

That's not what they said. I distinctly remember that's not what they said.

"Grett won't let me talk to you."

Yeah it really sucks they're on different teams, cause they seem to get along well.

"Why? She shouldn't get to control you like that."

Thank you Ellie.

She's a good bean and she'll do the right thing when time comes. I'm sure.

"I know, but it's the only way to save myself."

Yeah, being outcasted SUCKS.

I mean, I get it, I've been there in my past. Everyone found me annoying and hated me and would say it to my face. But also, you can't get people walk all over you Gabby.

As a Grett stan, you have permission to leave her behind.

"Let me know if you need someone to talk about it with."

Yes, confide in Ellie. She's a good person too.

Despite, you know, the alliance she's in not being the best choice.

Side with the heroes. You can side with Lilly and Ashley and get rid of Fiore. You'll be one happy family and they'll take you in.

"I like you Gabby. You aren't afraid to speak your mind."

Is that a platonic compliment, or...?

Actually, I can see it.

"Here's an idea, if my team wins, I can offer myself as the representative to make sure you're not in danger."

That sounds like a great plan actually! Do it!

But Ellie I swear to god you leave Jake out of this. Use the pen on Dan!

That pen is the slay pass I granted in the game, and I tell you how you use it!

"And if your team wins, you can do the same."

"You can save me from Fiore using the pen! And I'll be free! It'll be a glorious victory!"

In dream land where everything works out perfectly, that's what happens.

They're actually really sweet. I love that Gabby has a friend to confide with.

I love that Gabby gets to be happy in this miserable world where everyone is traumatized beyond belief!

NO NOT THE CHICKEN

I'm sorry Ashley, but you need to get clotheslined by a clothesline.

Even the birds are bullying Dan.

Awww their little chef wear, that's so cute on them!

"You've done this before?"

"Thank you... I used to cook with my grandmother a lot."

I'm glad he's staying strong for her.

Even Fiore is like "I'm glad I'm not your child!"

"I think we screwed up."

What are you talking about? It's supposed to be screwed up.

You're doing it perfectly.

Idk how fair this is considering one team has more members eating.

Yeah Teal's gotta lose here, right? They have more members...

It also might come at the expense of Miriam if I'm being honest. Just when I was starting to like her.

But that happens. Once you start to like a character on Total Drama, they get eliminated.

"I can't believe what I'm about to say, but... this is delicious!"

Alright, who put DJ's Mama Spice in the mix?!

This face XD

Aaaaaannnnddd we get vomit rockets...

I'm not showing that.

SO... my prediction was completely wrong.

That ended a lot faster than I thought it would.

How are that team gonna function with just three?

"Cooking is my passion. And when Jake and I cooked, I haven't felt that normal in a long time. I guess I judged the boy too soon."

I'm glad Miriam is coming around.

Gabby's the representative, as we established.

"I wanted to use the slay pass you gave me last episode, Golden!"

I'll give it to you sweetie. Use it for whoever. If you want to slay Fiore with it, go right ahead.

"It was convenient for everyone that Gabby volunteered. No one wants to make enemies right now."

You guys all blew your chance of making her an ally a long time ago.

Lilly and Ashley are being very blunt about this. I like it.

"Fiore has been sabotaging our team! And she can't get away with it!"

"Wow..."

What do you mean wow? You know this already.

"Well, who cares?!"

"Not me."

BRUH

"Ellie, you have to help us!"

YES ELLIE! JOIN THEM! GET HER OUT!

"They're just saying that cause they're desperate. Did they reach out to you when they were making their original alliance?"

What's it matter now? Ellie was desperate too back then.

"How did this happen? I went from being in the worst position to deciding the vote! It feels good to have this power."

Ellie... this is gonna sound really bad, but... I can't trust you with a slay pass.

"What do you mean Golden isn't on my side?!"

"SURPRISE BITCHES!!"

QUEEN 👑

"Remember when you vote me out at the first day?!"

"AND HERE I AM. REVENGE IS MINE."

"Gabby has a red marker. She will write the name of one of you and when I read the name of that one unlucky contestant, that person is immediately out!"

"It was a slay pass granted from Golden to Gabby because whoever Gabby hates probably deserves it."

I know how these shows work.

I have the gut feeling...

Ellie's not gonna side with the good guys.

Yep. I was right from the start of this. They're voting Lilly.

"I'm voting for you so you can crawl back to whatever Disney movie your wrinkled which face came from."

Why does she look so evil?

"See, that's why you have bad taste Golden. All the favs you picked are evil and/or have serious issues!"

'LILL'

Yep. We know.

'FIORE'

I feel like it would be hilarious if Gabby wrote Fiore's name.

Ellie would be like, "See, that's what makes me the swing vote! Good or Evil? I choose NEITHER."

'LILL'

'FIORE'

It's Lilly.

RIP.

Ashley, it's up to you cowgirlie! You gotta take up the mantle and survive!

...WELP, YOU SURVIVED FOR TWO SECONDS.

GODDAMMIT.

I had a feeling she was gonna do that.

ELLIE. WHYYYYYYYYYYYY

And why did Gabby use the slay pass on Ashley! I specifically told you to use it on Fiore!!

"I'll give it to you sweetie. Use it for whoever."

I feel like I should blame myself for this happening.

SLAY PASS MISFIRE

"Ellie, why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry Lill, we were getting down to the wire and Fiore could be helpful if we reached the merge."

How would she help you in the merge exactly?! She's a KID. She has limitations! She's not exactly a good alliance member to have.

And who's to say she's not just gonna ditch you after this?

I'm sorry Ellie, but I'm calling you out cause I do not see your logic there.

"Not to throw a hissy fit, but this is seriously unfair!"

I feel like Ashley is saying that to ME specifically.

"GOLDEN YOU LUNATIC REACTIONARY! WHY WOULD YOU GIVE ANYONE A SLAY PASS WILLY NILLY?! AND IT CAME AT THE EXPENSE OF ME!"

"There's three of us and only two of you. Even a six year old can do better math than you."

Fiore secretly takes Algebra. The highest level. And she's a straight A honor roll student.

"Y'all WILL regret this decision!"

Specifically Ellie. She's gonna regret this, I can already tell.

Honestly, Ashley was robbed. I get it, limited episodes, but really? That's how she's eliminated?

Awwwwwwww 💗

At least they're besties till the end.

"Okay, Fiore tricked us. But if she managed to do that with us, she can do the same with the other team."

AND she can do the same to YOU.

"Luckily Ellie and Alec didn't fall for their desperate attempt to throw me under the bus."

They DO know. Alec just doesn't care, and Ellie apparently knows what she's doing.

Honestly, I still feel like Ellie can redeem herself from this, especially if she's merging. She can be the swing vote, see the light, and join the good guys. I don't think she's a bad person at all, she's just playing the cards she's dealt.

I don't have to approve of her plan, but I understand why she has to do it.

I don't blame Gabby either. That was my fault. I'll take the blame for her. I forgive her.

Plus it's also, you know, karma for that alliance.

I was expecting that alliance to lose like, two members before the merge, but DAMN, it COMPLETELY collapsed pre-merge!

Reality TV's Stupidest Alliance everyone!

I was thinking Ashley would lose Lilly, her last ally, and be the outlier of her team trying to survive. Even if she wouldn't last long merge-wise. But when the Tribal Council started I realized, "Nah, Ashley's screwed."

I do feel like she was robbed though and they could do more with her. If she's in Season 3. The red marker is kind of a bullshit move to boot someone, ngl. But I get it, there's only 13 episodes so they had to do a double elimination. The TD Reboot had to do that as well. But really? That's how Ashley gets booted?

I liked her. She was the one reasonable fellow of that alliance.

Lilly... Well, I predicted her pre-merge boot from the very beginning, and I was completely right. And I think she works as plainly that. A pre-merge boot, AKA, an early elimination, with a one note personality that wasn't bitchy. She was also kinda the mom of that group.

I feel like they have to scramble up the teams now, right? Cause Purple has 3 and Teal has 6. It's not really fair that one team has DOUBLE the amount of teammates.

Or maybe because of that they throw someone from Teal to put them on Purple. My bet would be Gabby.

"Gabby, congrats, you're on the Purple Team now."

4-5, and it's a little better.

That would really screw Grett over though. I love her and I love the characterization given to her this episode, but also, I don't expect her to win at all.

If you guys want me to continue these reactions, be sure to let me know.

[fentrashcat]

Been a while since I talked about my Tourette's gremlin but some new occurrences! I'm in a waxing period of tics ig bc I've just been GOING with them. Kinda really sucks so trying to look on the bright side and wanted to share some recent occurrences.

1. Mom and I found a new tic loop. (My mom is not diagnosed with any tic disorders but does have verbal tics, usually echolalia or like a call/response thing idk what to call it). I was playing with the puppy and was saying like "did you get got? You got got?" At that same time my mom (who was playing a game) says "Oh, I got mail". IMMEDIATELY Tourette's Gremlin goes "You've got mail" in the old AoL voice. Mom's call/response is set of and she does the little like notification jingle. Jingle set off mine again, which set off hers. We went back and forth for almost 5min before she was able to suppress hers and break the loop. Now though I'm getting the urge to tic "you've got mail" at random.

2. I swear my Tourette's gremlin is actively trolling me. So obviously I refer to him as a separate entity, and I often speak out loud to him (like telling him "we aren't doing that" "don't you fucking dare [throw food]" "are you pleased with yourself now?") The other day I was getting a bout of tongue clicks, which I usually only get 1-3 at a time but this was going on way longer. It wasn't painful or anything, just annoying so I say out loud "is this really necessary?" They stop for about 5 minutes, and then I get one more. This led to me saying "Alright then, sassy" which caused my mom to think I named the gremlin Sassy (we had a dog named Sassy). I told her "nope, its name is just gremlin." And the bout of tics came back... Maybe he does want a name lol.

3. I've talked about my older cat before in a Tourette's post, she's the one that trained herself to help my tic attacks. However my younger cat usually just ignores them. During the incident in 2, I was whistling as well. It's a semi-distinct two-tone whistle, think like the opposite of a wolf whistle (tbh, I think it's from Facebook messenger but I'm not sure). Anyway, I was doing the whistle and my younger cat came up to me, put a paw on my knee, and did a two-tone meow in the same cadence. She's mimicked before, learning how to almost say "hello", "yeah", and "no", but she'd never mimicked a tic before. I was so surprised it actually got them to stop for a bit.

4. We're getting some house repairs done and my grandfather was over talking to my mom. He said something about the ducT work, but my brain heard ducK work, and set off a "duck-duck". It confused him so much he forgot what he was talking about by the time we explained what happened, and he just kind of left. Later I was with my grandparents and my grandma was worried about a decorative duck she has up blowing away. Of course I "duck-duck"ed and grandpa goes "don't you know you're not supposed to say that? It'll trigger her." "Say what? Duck? Why not?" "I was talking about something and she heard that bird's name and set off." "Fine then, can I say water fowl? Make sure the water fowl doesn't blow away!" This is all in good fun of course, they like to tease each other and know I'm alright with my tics being used in it.

5. I think I mentioned before one of my weird triggers is fancy candy apples. Specifically the ones that are like caramel and chocolate with a bunch of toppings to make flavors (like rocky road, cookies and cream, ect). We went to a little craft show type thing and one of the vendors right up front had a big display of them. When this happens we always get me at least one (usually two), but we have to get it at the end or I'll be too excited and be ticcing the whole time. We got two before we left and, as expected, I ticced the whole way home. It was a lot of tongue roll tics (like rolling your Rs, if that makes sense). From my tongue hitting my teeth so much I ended up hurting it a bit and had to wait like 2 days until it was comfortable enough to eat even if I started ticcing again. It had to be kept in an opaque bag in the fridge so I didn't set off everytime I saw it 🤣

6. I'm currently in what I'm calling "jukebox mode" because I cannot keep the songs in my head IN my head. As soon as something reminds me of a song lyric, I HAVE to sing it a little. Some from today were "Oh the lights went out" 🎶when the lights go out in the city🎶, "that was a long fall" 🎶it's a long way down🎶, and "I've got mouths to feed" 🎶I got bills to pay and mouths to feed, ain't nothing in the world for free🎶. Also been singing Skip to my Lou, and I'm blaming airhead commercials.

7. I got reminded of a post I saw here, and almost developed a tic they have without ever meeting them or having heard it. (I don't want to say exactly what it is bc I think they read these and I don't want to accidentally get them started or anything)

8. Was playing Skyrim again, saw a skeleton, and immediately ticced "hello moto!" No idea why. I can usually find SOME connection but not this time. I've gotten that as a tic before but usually due to the commercials.

9. I've started ticcing "duck-duck" at jeeps with anything colorful visible on their dashboard. Who knows if they are actually duck-ducks everytime or what, but the gremlin says they count.

Thank you if you read this far! I can't really tell if these are actually entertaining or if I'm just looking for ANY light spots. It's been a tough few weeks, but fingers crossed it starts to lighten up soon. For anyone curious the songs were "when the lights go out" from Family Crest, "it's a long way down (to the bottom of the sea)" from I think the Longest Johns, and "no rest for the wicked" from Cage the Elephant.

I think the gremlin wants a name now though, so if you have any suggestions let me know lol.